Tracking the Dawn
by CayStar
Summary: What if the nomads had a reason to be in the clearing? What if Alice and Jasper knew that reason? AU, OOC, rated M for language
1. The Game

**_A/N: I have been dying to do a story about James. This story won't update as fast as JBU because I'm not entirely sure where it's going yet ;) I'll try to update at least every 2 weeks._**

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_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story line, SM owns the characters I'm just having fun with them._

**_Chapter 1- The Game_**

**Bella** **POV**  
As Edward's car pulled further away, I felt my headache growing. Lately it felt like I had a constant migraine anytime I was away from him. It didn't let up until I could see him again; I was starting to feel like a vampire addict. He called me his personal brand of heroin; did the cravings go both ways?

I tried to shake off the pain as I went inside to start supper for Charlie. I was really not looking forward to this meal; Edward wanted me to tell my dad that I had a boyfriend. Boyfriend, that's a joke. More like beautiful predator who I hope loves me enough not to kill me, accidentally or otherwise. Wait- where did that thought come from? Of course Edward loves me, and I love him. He is perfect, yet still he somehow wants to be with me.

I was brought from my musing when I heard a car pull up outside. Going to the window I saw Jacob get out and go around to get Billy's wheelchair from the back. He gave me a warm smile when I opened the door, but Billy had a stern glare on his face. "Hey Billy, Jacob. Charlie's not home yet, but you can wait inside if you'd like."

"Thanks Bella! We brought this fish fry by for him, it's Harry Clearwater's recipe. Maybe you can cook some up for us for supper!" Jacob's enthusiasm was catching, he had such a sunny personality. I held the door open for him to push Billy through but he stopped just inside the doorway. "Been cleaning, Bells? Smells like bleach pretty strong in here."

"Umm, no? Not really. I mopped the floor yesterday but I just used vinegar water like always." I sniffed carefully but couldn't pick up any bleach smell. I did catch a hint of Edward's sweet scent and my headache eased slightly.

At Jacob's comment, Billy's face hardened even more. He turned to glare at me and said, "Jacob, I think I left the beer in the car. I know Charlie was getting low so I brought his favorite. Will you go check for me?"

"Sure, Dad!" Jacob bounced out the door again.

Billy turned to look me straight in the eye but didn't say a word. I was starting to get nervous when he finally said, "So, you've been spending time with the Cullens?"

My breath caught and I froze, locked in his knowing gaze. "Um, yeah, um, they're my friends at school." Where was he going with this?

"Bella, Charlie is my best friend. I see you like one of my daughters. I can't stand by and watch you get hurt." His tone was deadly serious.

My teenage rebellion kicked in and anger replaced my shock, "And who do you think is going to hurt me? What are you implying?"

"You know the Cullens have a bit of a... reputation on the rez."

"Really? Because I'm pretty sure they have never even _been_ to the reservation. They aren't _allowed _there." I shot back.

This seemed to give him pause. "You seem to know a lot about the Cullens."

"I do. Maybe even more than you do." Our stare down continued until Jacob came back in.

"I don't see anything in the car, Dad. You must have left it at home..." he trailed off, finally noticing our tense postures. "Everything ok in here?"

Billly sat up and looked at me a moment longer. "Yeah, son. Everything's fine. Why don't you take me in there in front of the tv and you can help Bella with the fish."

The next hour was spent with Jacob, cooking and joking around. He completely took my mind off the argument with Billy and he was so much fun to be around. He told me about his friends at school and I told him what I missed about Arizona. Just like that day at First Beach, he was so easy to talk to. Before I knew it, Charlie was home and we were all sitting down for dinner. The conversation flowed easily, with the dads acting like complete teenagers, and Jacob and I laughing at their antics.

The guys moved into the living room after supper to watch whatever game was on tv and I started working on the dishes. I was elbow-deep in soap suds when the doorbell rang, shocking me back to reality. I was supposed to tell Dad that Edward was coming and I completely forgot! I didn't get a chance to dry off before Charlie had asked Jacob to get the door. I made it to the entryway to find them locked in a glare, nostrils flaring, and fists tensed by their sides. Edward wasn't moving at all but Jacob was shaking slightly from head to toe.

I moved up behind him and put a hand on his shoulder when Edward lashed out, "Get back, Bella. _Now._" I was stunned by his harsh tone of voice but it only served to make Jacob angrier.

"Who the hell are you to talk to her like that?"

"I'm her boyfriend, mutt. What's it to you?"

Jacob stepped back like he had been slapped and looked between us before pushing past Edward to run out the front door. "I have to get out of here," he threw back over his shoulder.

"Jake! Wait!" I called after him and tried to follow, but Edward was blocking the door. It took me a few tries before I looked up and realized there was something really wrong, and he wasn't going to let me come outside.

Edward was still seething on the front porch, his black eyes making me nervous. About this time Charlie called out, "Who was at the door, Bells?" I looked at Edward and he shook his head quickly and whispered, "I'll be outside. Just make your excuses and meet me in the car." As his sweet breath fanned out across my face, I relaxed and found myself nodding.

"It was nobody, Dad. Just a vacuum cleaner salesman. Hey, Dad? I'm gonna walk down to Angela's, see if she wants to catch a movie or something. Ok?" I held my breath, hoping he wouldn't push me for answers.

"Sure, kid. Just don't be too late." With that, I grabbed my coat and walked out the door. Parked on the street in front of my house was a huge 4-wheel-drive Jeep. Edward was pacing back and forth in front of the passenger side door, waiting for me. As soon as I walked close to him he grabbed my upper arms and pushed me back against the door, and not too gently, either.

"Edward, wha-"

"What was he doing here?" his voice whipped out sharply, harder than he had ever spoken to me before. "You can't be around him anymore, I forbid it."

It took a minute for my brain to catch up to the strange turn in circumstances. When I realized what he said, I was the one who was furious. "You forbid it? What the hell, Edward? You don't own me. Jacob is my friend, you can't tell me-" I was cut off when Edward grabbed my chin in his hand and moved his face an inch from mine. His face didn't look normal; for the first time since I saw him in our biology class, he actually looked like he wanted to kill me.

"You will not speak to me that way, child. For all practical purposes, I _do_ own you. It is my job to protect you and that mutt is dangerous. I will not allow him near you." His face changed abruptly and his eyes were swirling golden again. His grip on my face lightened and he looked straight in my eyes. "You know how I worry about you, Bella. I couldn't survive if something were to happen to you. You are everything to me. You won't challenge me on this, right?"

As I breathed in his sweet scent again, I forgot why I was mad at him. He smiled and leaned in to gently kiss my lips, causing my knees to go weak. He caught me around the waist and proceeded to hoist me up into the jeep and buckle the harnesses around me. We were flying down the highway before I realized what was happening.

"Where are we going?" I asked him cautiously.

He shot a look my direction before answering slowly, like he was speaking to a child. "We're going to play baseball with my family, remember? We'll have to run part of the way but the Jeep will take us deeper in the woods than my Volvo."

I shook my head trying to clear away the hazy feeling. I did remember Alice asking us if we would come tonight. She and Jasper had looked at me strangely, almost like they were expecting something from me, but I had no idea what it would be. Edward had accused them of hiding something from him but she managed to talk him into agreeing anyway.

Edward stopped the jeep deep in the forest and came around to pull me out of the door. I couldn't unbuckle the complicated harness by myself, so I waited patiently for him to help me. For a moment, I felt strangely like a baby waiting to be removed from a carseat. His quick kiss on my forehead before lifting me onto his back didn't do much to dispel the illusion. I just sighed and tucked my head down and closed my eyes. I really didn't want to be sick in front of his whole family this time.

After running for several minutes, he set me down gently and wrapped his arm around my shoulder as we walked into the clearing with his family. Alice flitted over to us with a large smile and reached to hug me but Edward's arm tightened around me and he shook his head at her. "How did you miss the fact that Bella's friend is one of the La Push dogs? I thought you were watching her future? She spent the whole afternoon with him! Do you realize what could have happened?"

I had never seen Alice unsure of anything but her mouth popped open and she shook her head in disbelief. "Edward, I swear, I had no idea! I didn't see anything about Bella's day until you picked her up to come out here. I would have told you that! I know how unstable the wolves are!"

Despite Edward's proximity, I felt my anger rise again. "Isn't it a little hypocritical of you to say that Jacob is dangerous when I'm practically a paper cut away from being dinner for your whole family?" Edward's arm became a vice around me just as I felt calm wash over us. I smiled timidly at Jasper and he winked at me before staring down Edward in a rather intimidating manner. I had a feeling there was a lot more to Jasper than just being Alice's mate.

Carlisle came up to our tense group and laid a hand on each of the boys' shoulders saying, "Everything ok over here? We can start the game now if you like." Edward shook his hand off and stalked away without a backwards glance at me. I felt a chill at his absence and my head began to ache more with each step he took. Carlisle cleared his throat and I looked up to see he and Jasper looking at me in concern. "Is something wrong, Bella? You look as though you don't feel well."

"No, I'm fine. Just a headache." I saw the three of them exchange a glance before looking back toward Edward. Jasper and Carlisle smiled cautiously at me before running off to join the game.

Alice wrapped her arm around me and leaned so her mouth was right next to my ear. She whispered so quietly I could barely hear her, "Don't worry, Bella. Everything will be fine shortly. You have good things coming for you, I've seen it." She squeezed my shoulder before sprinting to the pitcher's mound, where she pirouetted like a ballerina. I couldn't help but smile at her antics.

Esme walked over to me and said, "I'm so happy you came, Bella. Would you like to call the game while I catch?" I nodded, and her arm was much more gentle than Edward's as she guided me over behind home plate. "Just call them as you see them!"

We had been playing for about thirty minutes when all of the vampires on the field stiffened and looked the same direction. I saw Alice and Jasper exchange a glance before Jasper darted over to stand beside me, but slightly in front of me. Edward seemed frozen as he listened to something and then he whipped his head around to glare at Alice. "What the hell is going on? Why didn't you see this?" She bowed her head and I guess she must have shown him something because he threw his head back and roared before racing to my side, snarling viciously.

I was shocked when Jasper pulled me behind him, growling at Edward. "You don't wanna do that, boy. I won't let ya interfere with this. She ain't yours and you know it." Jasper's voice was low and his accent was deeper. It almost sounded like he was a completely different person.

The rest of the family was frozen, looking between the four of us and the trees on the far side of the clearing. Carlisle finally spoke up saying, "Does someone want to let me know what's going on? Who is coming? They're moving at a pretty fast run. Do we need to get Bella out of here?" Someone was coming? Someone as in another vampire? Or vampires? I felt a shiver, but I also felt a strange urgency. The desire to run filled me, but what shocked me was the fact that I wanted to run in the direction the others were approaching from.

Edward snarled a harsh, "_Yes_", just as Jasper growled _"No."_ Alice finally spoke up and said, "We need to spread out and step back. There are three nomads coming, and they are coming for Bella. We can't interfere or we will bring the Volturi down on our family."

"_NO!"_ Edward roared. "She's MINE! She belongs to me!" He tried to move around Jasper to get to me but my attention was suddenly drawn to a noise at the edge of the woods.

Three vampires materialized from the trees and the urgency I was feeling suddenly increased. My eyes went immediately to the blonde in the middle. At first glance he was perfectly average; only his red eyes marked him as a vampire. His facial features were even, balanced, but not strikingly beautiful like the Cullens. His dirty blonde hair was pulled back in a low ponytail and I found myself wanting to run my fingers through it. His clothes were simple, if a little worn, and the hem of his jeans were frayed above his bare feet.

Time seemed to freeze when his eyes locked on mine. As he studied me, his face lit up in a bright smile and he raised his hand to beckon me to him. Jasper stepped away from me and I walked forward without even thinking about it. I made it three steps in his direction before all hell broke loose.


	2. The Hunt

_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story line, SM owns the characters I'm just having fun with them._

**_Chapter 2- The Hunt_**

**James POV  
**We had been traveling through the Pacific northwest on our way to Canada when I caught a faint scent that stopped me dead in my tracks. My instincts told me there was only one person who could smell this way to me; I was finally going to meet my mate. She smelled like wild strawberries and the roses that my mother carefully tended beside our front porch. She smelled like home.

Vickie and Laurent were thrilled when I told them and started off with me immediately. They were hoping I would find my mate; I had been their third wheel for far too long. We traced her scent to a house on the edge of the forest in Forks, Washington. I froze when I realized this was her home- there were smells of other vampires everywhere and something that smelled remarkably close to a werewolf. I hadn't seen one of those since my trip to Siberia decades ago! Now I was starting to worry about my mate. Why were there so many supernatural creatures around her? Her scent was definitely still human and the thought of my fragile mate being surrounded by these predators made me sick.

I closed my eyes and focused my gift on her scent, reaching out to see where she was right now. "Ten miles due north. I can sense other vampires with her; I really hope we don't have to fight. Vickie- I may need you to help us get out of there quick." Victoria's gift of evasion was quite helpful on my tracking missions, as were Laurent's skills as a fighter. With luck, we would not need those tonight.

Laurent and Vickie exchanged a glance that reeked of worry. I pulled myself up to my full height, unimpressive as it was, and looked at them both. "Please? It's my mate, guys. What would you want me to do if it was one of you?" They sighed and nodded. Laurent bowed with a flourish and said in his slight French accent,

"Lead the way, boss man." I chuckled and shook my head at his dramatics. He and Victoria were well suited to each other. I could only hope my mate would be more calm and level-headed like me. I don't think I could handle another drama queen in this coven.

Following my gift, we found the clearing and entered cautiously. My eyes immediately honed in on my mate, and I was shocked to see her guarded by the God of War. Her appearance was quite lovely; soft brown curls, huge chocolate eyes, and a petite frame that would fit easily with mine. She seemed to recognize me as well and looked pleased as she studied me. When she met my eyes I found myself smiling and waving her to me. I needed to separate her from this coven and I just hoped I didn't have to fight the Major to do so.

He nodded at me and stepped aside, allowing her to walk towards me. As she took her first step, the Major's eyes shot to a tall, lanky boy who was looking between me and my mate in pure hatred. She was still walking when I saw the boy sidestep the Major and head toward my mate. My eyes filled with a red haze and I roared as I shot to my mate. I pulled her behind me, noting her fragility, and crouched in defense. I whipped my head back and forth, gauging my opponents and growling lowly.

Laurent and Victoria came up to flank me and surround my mate. I relaxed a little when she was safe with my coven, but her warm hand on my back almost had me turning around to take her in my arms. I had never had a human touch me, other than when I was hunting, but this felt so right. Like something inside me just clicked into place and my world settled back on its axis. I was home. For the first time in 200 years I was home.

I felt the heat of her body as she moved closer to me and I was pleased that she wasn't afraid of me. I reached back slowly and put my hand on her hip, tugging slightly to pull her flush with my back. Her heart rate and breathing picked up as soon as we were connected, and I immediately started purring. Gasps from the vampires in front of me brought my attention back to the threat at hand. I noticed they had paired off, the tiny dark-haired girl was peeking around the Major, a giant black-haired vampire had his arms locked around the boy who had charged my mate, and a tall blonde woman was standing behind him. In the middle was blonde man with a brunette woman. They had gasped the loudest and the blonde male spoke first. "It's not possible! I thought she was Edward's mate! What is this?"

I growled loudly when he referred to my mate as someone else's. Her warm hand rubbed circles on my back and she whispered, "Shh, it's ok." We were interrupted when the boy growled at me again and tried to speak to my mate.

"Bella, Bella, look at me! This is all a trick! They're trying to steal you away from me. Look at my eyes, you know you belong to me!" What the fuck? He said "to me," not "with me." What has he been doing to my mate? I purred again when she tucked her head into my back and whimpered.

"I think he's been glamourin' her, Tracker. She complained of a headache earlier tonight." I looked from the Major to the boy and back again.

"You know who I work for?" I asked him.

"I'd heard the rumors. Is it true?" he replied

"Yeah, they put me over North America. Strictly contract work, but they will back me up on this." I knew Caius would especially be interested in someone harming my mate. Marcus would want to rip his head off himself.

"You gonna bring 'em in on it? The boy's the only one who done wrong. My mate tried to tell him but he wouldn't listen. He convinced the others she was his. I knew better. His emotions weren't right. All possessive, no protective. My mate saw ya comin', and I told her I'd make sure you got her. I don't break the law if I can help it." That was the longest speech I'd ever heard from him. Judging by the looks from his coven, they were surprised as well.

I turned my gaze on the boy, who was still glaring at me. "You fucked with my mate, boy." I heard a gasp behind me and turned to wink at her. She must have just caught on to why she was drawn to me. I patted her hip as I turned back to the boy. "Your life is forfeit. Any last words?"

The brunette woman began sobbing and cried out, "Please, no! Not my son! He didn't mean to do anything wrong! Please! Don't kill him!"

"Esme, listen," the Major stepped in, "He has the law on his side. He works for the Volturi. If he don't kill Edward, Aro will find out and then they'll come for all of us. Are you willin' to sacrifice us all for your favorite son?"

The blonde woman interrupted in a nasally tone, "Can someone please tell us what the fuck is going on here? What did Edward do and why do these savages want Bella?" I stifled a laugh when I heard a very human growl from my mate at the word "savages." Apparently she didn't judge on appearances like the blonde bitch.

"Rosie, keep up! Eddie isn't Bella's mate! He glamoured her this whole time to keep her with him and now her real mate, the blonde tracker dude over there, is here to get her and he works for the Volturi so he can have them all come kill us if we don't let him kill Edward!" The huge guy was smiling through his whole description. I guess he didn't care much what happened to his coven mate.

"But why would he glamour her? She's just a stupid human, what would he get out of it?" Blonde bitch is really getting on my nerves now.

Victoria spoke up for the first time, standing behind me and next to my mate. "He was drinking from her."

Growls erupted all around and I whipped around to look at my mate. Her eyes were wide with confusion and she shook her head no, but my eyes zeroed in where Victoria was holding up her arm. As she tilted it, the light hit and illuminated dozens of tiny white venom scars in neat lines going from her elbow all the way down to her wrist. "What? What is it?" my mate truly had no idea. What kind of sick bastard was he?

"Oh, my god! How could you, Edward! I thought you loved Bella! How could you do this to her?" The brunette, Esme I think, was crying. She reached a hand toward my mate but pulled back at my instinctive growl.

"Love a human? How on earth could I love a human? She's just a pet. Her silent mind and delicious blood were made just for me." And, now he's dead. Deader than he already was. He was cut off as growls and roars filled the clearing. The big guy holding him tightened his arm around his neck, while the Major came over and punched him square in the mouth.

"That's my sister, you asshole. You ain't worth shit next to her. I'm gonna help her mate tear you to shreds and if I could still take a piss I'd do it on your ashes." The Major spit a mouthful of venom in his face and walked back to his mate. A small whimper from behind me brought my attention back to my mate and I turned to look at her.

I brought my hands up to cup her cheeks and said, "Sweetheart? Bella? Is that your name?" I paused while she nodded. "That's a beautiful name. I'm James. Can I ask you something? Do you trust me?" She nodded again and I couldn't help my smile. "I want you to go with my friend Victoria here. I want you to turn around keep your eyes closed and your ears covered. Can you do that for me?" She looked from me to Victoria, then over my shoulder to the Major. I followed her gaze to see him nod at her and smile slightly.

"It's alright darlin'. They won't hurt ya none. Do ya want Alice to come with ya?" At her timid nod, the pixie-sized girl bounced out from behind him and over to take Bella's hand. I reluctantly let her go and stepped back, nodding at Vickie to take her. The girls each wrapped an arm around her and led her to the edge of the trees where I could still see her, but I was aching to be near her again. She started to glance back at me, but caught herself and shook her head. She settled down in the grass between Alice and Victoria with her head down on her crossed arms. They each rubbed her back and murmured softly to her but I couldn't make out the words.

Satisfied that my mate was well-cared-for, I turned back to the task at hand.

**Bella POV**  
Wow. My mind was moving a million miles an hour. I felt like my whole world had been picked up, shaken around, and dumped out all over the ground. My boyfriend, Edward, who I thought loved me, just thought of me as a pet and his personal vending machine. I thought I was going to be sick when Victoria pointed out the scars to me. They were nearly impossible to see with my human eyesight but I could feel the difference in temperature easily. Was this what he did when he was "watching me sleep"? Was he doing it before we got together? There were too many scars for it to just be the past few nights.

Then there was the whole "glamour" thing. Alice explained to me what that meant and I remembered Edward in the meadow saying something about his tools as a predator- everything about him drawing me in. He claimed he didn't need those tools but apparently he had been using them. Basically, he was using his eyes and scent to hypnotize me and make me agreeable to him. My mind had cleared since my mate showed up and I was remembering more and more times that Edward had been cruel to me. Tonight with Jacob was not the first instance by far. He had already ordered me away from Tyler and Mike at school, and any time I disagreed with him, he literally blew my thoughts away with his overly-sweet breath. I felt completely disgusted. Alice said it was only meant to be used to lure prey away, and they weren't sure what harm would come from using it long-term. Apparently my headaches were a side-effect.

My mate hadn't had to use anything to draw me to him. My body and soul recognized him immediately. He didn't even know me yet, but he had been nothing but tender and protective with me. Jasper seemed to know him somehow, but Alice wasn't sure where they had met. Victoria said it must have been on one of James missions but she didn't elaborate much. She wanted him to tell me about himself. She did verify that he did contract work for the Volturi and was good friends with Caius, one of the kings. I saw Alice startle a little when she said that.

I fought the urge to turn around when I heard something that sounded like metal being torn apart. I pushed back my panic that James had been injured, but Alice assured me that he was just fine. When I smelled smoke I asked the girls if we could get up now and after glancing over their shoulders they helped me to my feet. I turned and immediately spotted my mate, standing next to a smoldering bonfire that was giving off purple-black smoke. I felt a little sick when I realized this must be Edward. I knew nothing about destroying vampires but there was no other explanation for the fire.

James turned to look at me as we approached and if I didn't know any better I would say he looked scared of me. Jasper leaned over toward him and whispered something and he visibly relaxed before running to me. He took my hands in his and pulled me close to kiss my forehead. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart. I wish I didn't have to do that right after we met but I have to look out for your safety and he was a definite threat to you. Can you forgive me?" The irony of this red-eyed vampire giving me puppy dog eyes almost had me laughing but I held it in and managed to answer him.

"There is nothing to forgive! If you hadn't come here tonight, who knows what Edward would have done to me. Thank you!" He sighed in relief and pulled me in for a gentle hug. His scent was so comforting- tobacco and worn leather. He smelled like a man, where Edward had smelled like a candy factory. I felt so safe in his arms, so completely relaxed. I felt like I was home. In all my years of being bounced between parents, I had never felt like I belonged anywhere. But here, in James cold embrace, my soul found rest.

He pulled my chin up and lowered his face to mine. I was expecting a small, chaste kiss like Edward had given me. But he covered my mouth and demanded entrance with his tongue. His taste overwhelmed me and for a moment I felt like I was drowning in him. He backed off slowly and then pressed his lips gently to mine twice more, before pulling back and giving me a sheepish grin. "Sorry, I didn't mean to get carried away. You just don't know how long I have waited for you. I can't believe you're actually here!"

I smiled and kissed him again. "You can get carried away with me anytime! I'm so glad you found me. I'm finally home."


	3. The Cullens

**_AN: Sorry for the wait, this chapter was really hard for some reason.  
Oh, and if you haven't caught on yet from my other stories, I don't really stick to the Twilight norm. My characters aren't going to act the way you expect them to. _**

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_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story line. SM owns the characters, I'm just having fun with them._

**_Chapter 3- The Cullens_**

**James POV  
**My heart melted when she said she was home. I felt the same way, only I had been wandering for much longer than she had. She was definitely worth the wait though. I lost myself for a moment, gazing into her dark chocolate eyes. I leaned in to kiss her again, when our happy bubble was broken by growls and shouting around us. I pulled Bella behind me and looked up to see Victoria, Laurent, the Major, and his mate all crouched in front of us, facing off against the remaining four members of the other coven.

"Jasper, how could you do this to us?" the blonde male was shouting.

"Don't start that shit with me, Carlisle. I don't owe you nothin'. That brat brought it on himself- you know what he did. You think Bella asked for that? You think she deserved that?" a growl escaped me and the Major shot me a look over his shoulder as Bella soothed me again. "I'm tellin' you like I told the tracker, I don't break the law if I can help it. That's more than you and the rest of your piss-eyed coven can say."

"That's it! You're out! I have given you plenty of chances, but no more! I have suffered with your insolence, your blatant disregard to this family's morals, and now you've had a hand in my son's murder. I want you gone. Aro can't expect this much from me. I'm not the criminal here- you are!" I heard a startled gasp from my mate and wondered just how much she knew about these vampires.

Her soft voice rang out through the tense silence. "Jasper, what is he talking about?" It was still hard to accept that my human mate was on a first-name basis with the most dangerous vampire in history, but he did seem protective of her, so I had to be grateful for that. He turned to look at her as she peeked around my shoulder.

"Darlin', that's a long story, but I promise I'll tell ya everythin' later. For now, just know that I did what I was created to do. Most of it was not very nice, but as soon as I learned there was another way, I left. The Volturi don't care much about your good intentions though, so I'm still bein' punished for my crimes. Livin' with the Cullens was part of that punishment. Guess I'll have to head to Italy now to be reassigned." He dropped his eyes from hers as he spoke and I got the distinct feeling he didn't want my mate to be disappointed with him. I looked between them, startled to see the affection they held for one another. His mate was smiling softly at them, but as I thought about the situation, her eyes went blank. She snapped out of it clapped her hands, smiling at me.

"That's a wonderful idea! I can see it will work perfectly, everyone will be agreeable." she said, bouncing up and down on her toes. I had no idea what she was talking about.

"Uh, Ali? Wanna fill us in?" the Major smiled fondly at his mate, before turning back to face me again. "She's a seer. Whatever you were thinkin' triggered a vision that she is quite pleased about."

"James had a wonderful idea. I'll let him tell you. Go ahead, he won't mind! And you can call him Jasper, by the way." Huh? All I was thinking about was his punishment and whether being around them would make my mate more comfortable. Maybe they do want to go with us? I turned to the Major.

"What are the terms of your sentence?" I asked.

"200 years livin' with a Volturi-approved coven. I can't live alone with my mate, or with my brother and his mate, and I can't live with anyone with a history of war or newborn armies. They also prefer to keep me in America, as far from Italy as possible. I've served almost 50 years here." he answered.

"And your diet? Is that part of the deal?"

"No, that's just the requirements for this coven. Not my favorite choice, it's hard to stick to after how I was raised." Yeah, I can imagine.

"What about a single newborn? Can you live with one?" I saw his face light up as he saw where I was going with this. He looked at his mate and she smiled widely as she nodded.

"Yeah, that ain't a problem. Just can't make an army of 'em. Are ya askin' what I'm thinkin' ya are?"

"Yeah, we'll have to travel to Volterra so the kings can meet Bella. I have to get their approval for her change, so if you want to come with us you can ask if our coven will work for what you need. I'll have to tell them I'll be taking some time off for a few years, and extra hands would always help with a newborn. After that, I wouldn't mind your help on some of my tougher missions either, if you're interested." I cut a glance back at my mate, realizing she still didn't know what exactly I do for a living. Her heart rate had picked up when I mentioned her change, and I wondered if it was fear or excitement. "We can talk about that later though."

Blonde bitch had apparently held her tongue as long as she could. "Carlisle, are you seriously going to let this trash come in here and steal half our coven without a fight? What about the stipend we get from the Volturi? We'll lose that if Jasper leaves!" Wow, and I thought Victoria was arrogant. This girl was in a league of her own.

The Major threw his head back and laughed, but there was little humor in it. "Rose, you never disappoint, do ya? Well, I'm terribly sorry you will miss my money so much when I'm gone. Bet you'll miss Alice's stock market tips even more. But I can tell you, what Emmett's gonna miss is the damper I put on your never-endin' mood swings."

With an outraged scream, the girl turned and ran off, pausing at the tree line to yell at her mate to follow her. He looked at her, then turned with a solemn face to look between the Major and Bella. "Em- it's ok. Just go to her. She'll be worse if you don't. We'll keep in touch, ok? Maybe meet up for a boys' night or somethin'. And I know Bella will want to see ya too. We've got forever, right? That's a long time to live with a pissed-off mate." Sounds like the Major is a wise man.

The big guy turned to look at Bella and said, "Bells? Can I have a goodbye hug?"

"Emmy? What's going on? I don't understand?" She looked between me and the other vampire. I sighed and decided we needed to have a talk. I turned to face her and block her from the others' view.

"Bella? How much do you understand about vampire mates?" I asked her.

"Umm, not much I guess. I know Alice and Jasper are mates, and Rose and Emmett. Edward said he was mine but I guess he was lying to me. I feel connected to you in a way I didn't with him. You're my mate right?"

"Yes, sweetheart, I am. And that connection you feel is called the mating pull. We won't be able to be very far away from each other now without hurting, so you will need to come with me and my coven. We have to leave pretty quickly; we can't stay here because this isn't our territory. It's already been claimed by this coven- the Cullens?" I glanced at the Major for confirmation and he nodded. "I would like to change you as soon as I can but I have to ask the Volturi for permission first, and then take you to my home in Pennsylvania. It's isolated enough for your newborn year.

"The Major here-" She interrupted me to ask, "You mean Jasper?"

"Yeah, um, _Jasper_ was staying with the Cullens until he defended you and upheld the law tonight and he has now been tossed out on his ass, something the Volturi will not look at very highly. They don't like having their orders disobeyed." The blonde leader shot me a glare. Hey, I work for them, I'm not stupid.

"Anyway, I have offered to let him and his mate stay with us if the kings approve. I can tell you more about what I do later, but basically I'm a tracker. It's my gift. I can find anyone, human or vampire, based on scent alone. I am not a member of the Volturi, although they do keep asking me. I do contract work for them, on a case-by-case basis. When they need someone found and their tracker, Demetri, doesn't want to come overseas, they call me. They pay me pretty well and otherwise leave me alone, so it's not a bad life.

"So, as soon as we are done here, the six of us will leave and head for Italy. I take it, from the Cullens' reaction, that we won't be back to visit them anytime soon." I finished and watched her face closely to gauge her reaction. Several expressions crossed her face, and her mouth opened and closed a few times before she finally spoke.

"Ok, so, I have to leave here with you? Like, now?" I nodded.

"And we can't come back? At all?" I shook my head, no.

"But Alice and Jasper are coming too?" Another nod.

She stood there silently, gazing into my eyes as if she was searching for something. I held my breath, hoping she would find whatever it was she needed. Finally, her eyes hardened slightly and she got a look of resolve on her face. She nodded at me and squeezed my hands, before stepping to the side to look at the remaining Cullens.

**Bella POV  
**I was still processing all the information I had learned in the past few minutes. I couldn't even begin to think about my visit to the vampire royalty or my impending change yet. I had more immediate concerns. My friend, one of my very best friends, practically my brother, was apparently not the same man I thought he was. Jasper had always been less than forthcoming about his past. I knew nothing other than the fact that he met Alice in the 1950's and they joined the Cullen family together. Other than the two of them, the rest of the Cullens had all been turned by Carlisle when they were near death. I had asked Jasper a few times about his human life and how he was changed but he always managed to change the subject or deflect my questions.

Now I was hearing that he was a criminal of some kind, and living with the Cullens was his punishment? My mate, James, was extremely respectful of him, and kept calling him "Major." James and Jasper both had connections to the Volturi, in very different ways. I assumed that Alice was still just Alice, that she was just following her mate. At least I hoped that was true; I wasn't sure I could handle it if she had lied to me as well.

The Cullens were a different story. Emmett didn't seem to have a problem with Jasper; he didn't even want to follow Rosalie when she left. But Rosalie and Carlisle were oozing enough hatred toward Jasper that I could feel it and I'm not even the empath. I could only imagine how it must feel to him. Was this how they normally acted when I wasn't around? I already knew Edward didn't like Jasper; he had warned me away from him, citing his lack of control. But Jasper, Emmett and I had been friends since my first week of school. Jasper called them my dirty little secret. Alice was my only Edward-approved friend.

Back to the current situation. I looked at Emmett, already missing him. James nodded and waved him over, stepping aside so I could give my Emmy a hug.

"Oh, Bells, I'm so sorry I didn't stop him sooner. I had no idea what he was doing to you. Can you forgive your brother bear?" He was shaking as he hugged me more gently than he ever had before. When he made a strange choking noise, I realized he was crying!

"Emmy, it's ok, I would never blame you! You're one of my very best friends and I don't know what I would have done without you these past few months. You and Jasper kept me sane when Edward was being a possessive jerk. I love you, Em, and I'm gonna miss you so much!"

Emmett stepped away from me and nodded at Jasper before turning to run after Rosalie. I turned my attention to Carlisle, a man I had greatly admired until tonight. His face was twisted into a grimace and his black eyes were looking at our group with hatred and disgust. I knew there was nothing I could say to change his opinion of either Jasper or my mate. He would never see beyond Edward's deceptive perfection.

Finally, I looked to Esme. She had defended me, been upset by Edward's actions, but I wasn't sure how she felt now that he was gone. In a way, I did feel responsible for her losing her son, and I felt like I needed to say something. "Esme, I'm so sorry-"

She cut me off and her voice was firm. "No, Bella. You have absolutely nothing to apologize for. You trusted this family and that trust was abused in the most disgusting way. Alice and Jasper tried to tell me that Edward was too controlling in your relationship, but I just brushed their concerns aside. I must apologize to you for that as well. I hope you will find happiness with your mate, and I hope you, Jasper, and Alice will take care of one another. I view you all as family and I hope I can see you again in the future."

Carlisle was growling lowly as she finished speaking and he let out a feral roar at her last words. James immediately pulled me behind him and growled back. I glanced over and saw that Jasper and Laurent had done the same with their mates. But before anyone spoke, a breeze blew through the clearing and all the vampires stiffened. They looked behind Carlisle, who had suddenly relaxed and had a sinister smile on his face.

"Hello, Sam. I'm glad you came to visit us tonight."

I wasn't sure who he was talking to until I saw a group of men step out from the trees. The were all very tall, even taller than Jasper. From this distance they all looked like brothers with the same copper skin, short black hair, and ragged cut off shorts. They moved forward as a unit, with two in front and three more slightly behind them. As they got closer, I was shocked when I recognized Sam Uley as the Sam Carlisle was speaking to.

When I looked to his right, my legs gave out and I would have fallen if James didn't turn around and pull me close to him. A growl from the men brought my attention back to what had shocked me. It wasn't possible- I had seen him just hours ago. He could not have changed this much in that short amount of time. But there he was. Teeth bared as he growled at my mate. It couldn't possibly be-

"Jacob?"

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_**AN: Yes, I know you have questions, and I promise answers are coming soon! But go ahead and ask your questions anyway, that way I'll make sure I've got ya covered ;) Hopefully next chapter won't take so long to update.**_


	4. Complications

_**AN: Short chapter, but it's better than nothing, right? I am trying to write ahead a bit so I can get on a weekly posting schedule with this story. It's a busy time in my life right now, we just finished basketball and the dreaded baseball starts today. Baseball is a religion around here, five days a week at least. Someone save me, please...**_

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_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story line. SM owns the characters, I'm just having fun with them._

**_Chapter 4- Complications_**

**Jasper POV (yes, you read that right)  
**Well, shit. This ain't good. That mutt has picked up some new puppies since the last time we met. And it looks like Eddie was right about Bella's little friend. Damn, that means she'll be pissed if we just kill them all, and I know they ain't gonna let us just walk outta here with Bella and a bunch of red-eyed vamps. Fuck.

"Ali? Any tips? How do we need to handle this?" I whispered to my mate. She's usually giving me some kind of hint by now, but all I'm feeling from her is recognition and irritation.

"_I don't know._" she shot back. Wait, what? She always knows. She knows everything. She's been telling me what to do for the past fifty years. Err, I mean, she's been my strategist since I had to leave Peter.

"What do you mean you don't know? What do you see?"

"I don't _see_ anything! I can't see around these stupid dogs! It's just like this afternoon with Bella- there is absolutely nothing there!" She has now passed irritation and moved into extremely pissed off. And a mad pixie ain't a fun pixie.

Ok, I guess we're flying blind here. At least I'm on the right side this time. That tracker of Bella's is a smart fucker. I remember when we met, he was working on his own as a bounty hunter; the Volturi hadn't picked him up yet. Maria had put a pretty high price on my head but didn't mention who she was looking for by name, and he was the only one able to find me. But when he figured out who I was he said there was no way in hell he was gonna try to take me in. Said he had taken some stupid bets in his life, but he knew better than to take on the devil. We talked for a while, and he and Peter got along famously. Not long after that, the Volturi cleaned out the South and came looking for stragglers. I have a feeling that mine and Pete's memories may have tipped them off to James ability but if he has made that connection, he don't seem to have any hard feelings about it.

Speaking of James, he's got Bella wrapped up because she apparently tried to run_ to_ the werewolves. That's great, Bella. Real helpful, darlin'. I pumped out a shit-load of calm to try to keep a lid on the situation and the wolves' trembling eased up a bit. Sam ordered his wolves not to phase; at least he's attempting to abide by the treaty. He's actually not too upset right now, he's mostly giving off curiosity and nerves. Our red-eyed brothers tend to make the wolves a little twitchy.

"Carlisle, we smelled strange vampires and then saw some smoke. We wanted to know if they were friends of yours or not." Sam stated formally. I swear he sounded like he should be wearing a feathered headdress and passing a peace pipe. Get over yourself, pseudo-Alpha.

Speaking of Alphas, little Jacob Black finally decided to speak up. "Where's your _boyfriend_, Bella?" he asked snidely.

Without missing a beat, Bella narrowed her eyes and answered him in the same sarcastic tone, "My _mate_ killed him, _Jacob._" Damn, I love that girl. That right there is why Emmett and I went behind Edward's back to make friends with her. She is just too damn interesting to ignore. Eternity is too long to be bored. Gotta look for kicks wherever you can find 'em. Alice is pinching me now so I guess I must have leaked some of my pride and amusement. Better rein that shit in.

The wolves are looking between Bella and Carlisle in shock, trying to figure out if she's lying or not. Why the hell would she lie about something like that? Do they not notice the new vampire wrapped around her, scenting her neck? Or the slightly smoking pile of Edward-scented ashes? I swear they lose brain cells when they change forms. Sam finally gets enough words together to make a semi-coherent sentence. "Uh, Carlisle? Um, what?" Hey, I said semi-coherent, not remotely intelligent.

Carlisle found his voice now, "Yes, these savages came in here and killed my son, and stole my prisoner and his mate" Hold up, you prick. YOU kicked ME out, remember? "Now, they are going to steal Bella and take her to Italy to be changed." At this the wolves all growled and started trembling again, but I guess they were still under the order that they couldn't phase so nobody went furry on us.

Bella jumped in next; that girl really doesn't like people insulting her mate. "They are _not_ 'savages.' James works for the Volturi- they are the rulers of the vampire world. I wouldn't advise you starting shit with him, because they will come here and end you. And he isn't stealing me, I'm leaving with him willingly. So just run back to your rez and mind your own business. We'll be on our way shortly."

Then she pulled out her _p__ièce de résistance, _and added, "Oh, and they killed Edward because he had been drinking from me and using vampire voodoo mind control on me for months. I have the scars and the headaches to prove it, although I guess he didn't _technically_ violate the treaty since he didn't bite me. Oh, and how do I know about the treaty? Jacob took me for a walk and told me some scary stories- you remember, Jake? I'm guessing the whole spirit warrior thing is true too since the cold ones are standing right here. You get all furry and shit now?" She may have been spending too much time with me, my vocabulary might be rubbing off on her a bit.

The wolves were back to complete shock again. Jacob had some embarrassment and a tinge of fear. Not sure what the repercussions are for sharing tribal secrets with a pale face, but whatever. She told me how she had "flirted" with him to get the stories about us. That's what led her to discover what we really are. It warmed my heart when I remembered her telling me it didn't matter to her what I was, I was still her friend. I hope her tolerance will continue when she finds out just how "savage" I have been in the past.

"So you're just gonna run away, Bells? Just abandon your dad, and what? Let him think you're dead or something? How can you do that to him?" Jacob played the guilt trip card.

"Jacob, please. My dad will be just fine. He'll go back to eating at the diner and washing his own clothes. Maybe he'll finally get over my mom and find someone new to cook and clean for him. None of it matters anyway- I have to be with James, and we can't stay here. So, I'm leaving. End of story." James is really getting a crash course in his mate's attitude tonight. She might be shy and submissive with him, but she won't take shit from anyone else. I did send her some love when I felt her regret about leaving her dad. She shot me a smile and some appreciation.

**James POV  
**I am about five seconds away from picking Bella up and running as fast as I can out of this crazy town. I mean, how many supernatural creatures can actually live in one place? When Bella started to run to that smelly wolf boy, I wanted to pick her up and turn her over my knee. What was she thinking? She gave me a look that I'm sure I'll be hearing about later, and then told me said boy was her _friend._ Alice whispered that they weren't true children of the moon, but rather shapeshifters, and are therefore slightly more stable than their moon-driven cousins. I could tell the difference in scent now that they were closer; they had a more natural, composty earthy smell, rather than the poisonous reek of true werewolves. It didn't matter though, no way in hell is my mate going anywhere near one.

I was impressed with how she handled the pack of dogs. She verbally handed them their asses, and I quickly found myself getting aroused. I love having an intelligent mate. I did hear the catch in her voice when she spoke of her father. I know as tough as she tried to sound, she will still miss him. I hate that my being in her life is taking things away from her, but I can't be too upset because I wouldn't have it any other way. Vampires are inherently selfish, and I've been a vampire a long time. I want my mate, and I want her now.

The Major must have picked up on my impatience because he tried to wrap things up. "Ok, so we're good here right? We're leavin', you're leavin', and the Cullens are stayin'." I think he must have been sending the wolves something to make them agreeable because they all nodded like large smelly puppets and melted back into the forest, leaving us alone with the Cullen leader and his mate.

"So, Carlisle. I'm gonna leave Bella's disappearance for you to handle. I assume you can stage a car wreck with her and Edward's 'bodies.' Let the news out that they were secretly datin', died tragically, etc. You know the drill, havin' covered for me so much in the past." He got a dirty look for that cheeky comment, but otherwise no response. "Bella, Alice is gonna sneak into your room if you want to let her know what you want out of there. You can't take too much, just stuff that won't be noticed." Bella nodded at him and thought for a minute before giving Alice instructions.

"James, this all ok with you? I don't wanna step on your toes, bein' the leader and all." Uh, yeah. I don't see me leading the Major anywhere. Carlisle may have been able to convince himself he was in a position of authority over him, but I've been around long enough to know the drill. I'll gladly bend my neck to the top dog when the situation calls for it. He should know from our fist meeting that I'm not gonna challenge him, unless it endangers my mate that is.

"Nope, sounds good to me. I'm just ready to get out of here. This place gives me the creeps, and I've seen a lot of crazy stuff over the years." Seriously, how does this tiny little town have a higher supernatural/human ratio than Volterra? I keep waiting for a leprechaun to come riding up on a unicorn or something. This is some freaky shit.

"Ok, well, then I'll lead the rest of us back to the house to pack up mine and Alice's stuff. You can grab a shower while we're there if ya want one. I'm sure we can find some clothes for ya and I think Peter still owes you a pair of boots, right? I'll cover those for him if you can wear mine." I was touched by his generosity and the fact he was honoring his brother's promise. We all came from a time where you would kill a man over a pair of boots. I gave mine to Peter as a show of good faith when I tracked them down, I thought he was joking when he said that he owed me. Now I get a pair from the Major! He grinned at me, feeling my excitement. I'm really looking forward to our new coven arrangements.

I picked Bella up in my arms and she let out a gasp of surprise. "You don't mind me carrying you, do you sweetheart? I'm sure we're quite a ways from the house."

"No," she said breathily, "It's good. Edward just never carried me, I had to ride on his back. It was hard to stay on and I would get motion sickness." I had to bite back a growl at her reference to that prick. She picked up on my mood change anyway and rubbed her hand on the back of my neck. I leaned down to kiss her and said,

"You're too precious to risk losing you running through the forest. Plus, I have better access for kissing you this way." Her smile was electric when I finally pulled away.

I ran beside the Major and he told me he needed to see his lawyer in Seattle before we left the area. I told him we could just get a flight out of Sea-Tac after I call Caius and make sure they're ready for us. I don't think they would take kindly to me dropping in with both the Major and my human mate, especially when the two of them are in cahoots with each other. Heaven help me- I hope I'm not too old for all this.


	5. Phone Call

_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story line. SM owns the characters, I'm just having fun with them._

**_Chapter 5- Phone Call_**

**Bella POV  
**Running with James was a completely new experience; he had a smooth, effortless run. If I closed my eyes I could barely tell we were moving. Tucking my head back into his neck, I breathed his scent in deeply. I felt his laugh rumble through his chest but he didn't say anything about my sniffing him. From what I could tell, he and Jasper were having a conversation at vampire speed and I couldn't make out what they were saying. I had no idea where Carlisle went, but I hoped Rosalie wasn't waiting to ambush us back at the house. I will never understand how such a sweet guy like Emmy could end up with a psycho bitch for a mate.

I'm glad James seems to be fairly normal so far. He did freak out when I tried to go see Jake, but I had to cut him some slack there. Mortal enemies and all that. But otherwise he has been kind and patient with me, and courteous to everyone else (Edward excluded, of course). Although, now that I think about it, I really don't know very much about my mate. I guess he can tell me more on the plane ride to Italy. I still can't believe I'm going to meet the vampires I saw in Carlisle's painting, the rulers of the vampire race.

This whole day has been completely surreal. I was just getting used to the idea that my boyfriend and two of my best friends were vampires. We had spent the morning at their house, hanging out and listening to music. Then I spent the afternoon making supper for my father and our friends, who I thought were perfectly normal Quileutes. Now I know that Jacob left my house and apparently turned into a wolf. Next came the baseball game with the Cullens, where I met my mate, learned my boyfriend has been drinking my blood, had my mate kill my boyfriend, and learned that Jasper has this whole other life I knew nothing about. Just thinking about it all was making me tired.

"Bella, darlin'? What's got you thinkin' so hard over there? Your emotions are movin' too fast for me to keep up with." Jasper said as we came to stop in front of the Cullen house. James tightened his arms around me and looked down in concern.

"It's nothing. Or, well, it's everything. It's just a lot to take in all at once. I mean, this morning, Edward was my boyfriend and you were just his brother. Now I have a mate, and my friend Jacob is a wolf, and we're going to Italy, and-"

"Breathe, sweetheart. It's ok. Just breathe slowly now." James quiet voice made me realize I was breathing erratically and starting to get light-headed. I tucked my face into his chest and focused on his scent, calming myself almost instantly. "Better now?" he asked. I looked up, getting caught in his soft crimson gaze. Jasper laughed when I could do nothing but nod in response, but James never took his eyes from mine.

"Ok, lovebirds, let's get movin'! We ain't exactly in friendly territory here." I turned my head to see Laurent and Victoria standing beside Jasper, fighting back smiles of their own. James ducked his head down to hide his face in my neck and groaned.

"Why did I agree to expand this coven? Now I'll be teased twice as often."

"Well, Tracker, I'd say you asked me to join ya 'cause you don't know the first thing about havin' a newborn around. Without my help, you'd be stuck in Italy with the brothers for a year or more after Bella's change. You need me, and I'd like to think Bella does too." Jasper turned to me with his normal slow grin and I smiled back for a moment, before his words caught up to me.

"Why do you do that?" Jasper and James both looked at me like I was crazy. I mean, yes, at this moment I do feel a little off my rocker but they don't have to know that. "Why won't the two of you call each other by your first names? James, this is Jasper. Jasper, James. What's with all the 'Major' and 'Tracker' crap?"

They exchanged a glance over my head and I felt James nod before Jasper spoke. "It's a sign of respect, darlin'. You'll hear more of that when we're in Volterra, and you'll understand more once you've heard about our pasts. You know some vampires are gifted?" He paused while I nodded. "Well, those with gifts tend to be more respected, dependin' on how they use those gifts. You'll see that Alice is quite coveted by the Volturi, and most refer to her as 'Seer.' Those who don't particularly honor my military past will call me 'Empath.' You'll catch on."

That made sense, I guess. It also made me more curious about their pasts and when Jasper felt that he cut me off quickly. "I know you're curious, but we really do need to get movin' pretty quick. My effect on the wolves has long worn off and their patience won't keep them across the border for much longer."

Alice returned to the house soon after we did, with a bag full of my personal items, but the rest of the Cullens were nowhere to be seen. The next half hour passed in a flurry of packing at vampire speed and I soon found myself tucked in the backseat of Jasper's truck, barreling down the highway toward Seattle. I was snuggled up to James, who was freshly showered and wearing one of Jasper's shirts with his own ratty jeans and an old pair of cowboy boots that had him smiling bigger than I had seen him smile yet. Alice just looked at them and rolled her eyes saying, "Boys."

Laurent and Victoria flew past us as we left Forks, sharing Jasper's motorcycle. Laurent was thrilled when he saw the Ducati; apparently James wasn't a fan of modern transportation so the trio normally travelled on foot everywhere. Jasper laughed and told Laurent he was free to borrow any of his cars or bikes once we got back from Italy.

Lulled by the passing lines on the highway, and the vampires speaking quietly around me, I soon drifted off to sleep in the arms of my mate.

**James POV  
**Holding Bella in my arms as she slept, I was once again amazed by my luck. This gorgeous girl who trusted vampires, stood up to werewolves, and was simply beautiful was all MINE! I couldn't wait to walk into Volterra with her on my arm. "Pride goes before a fall, Tracker. Rein it in." I think the Major was joking, but it's kind of hard to tell with him. His mate, the seer, turned in her seat to smile at me.

"He's joking. And whatever you do, don't call me Seer. My name is Alice. I only tolerate the Seer crap when we're in Italy." That's gonna take some getting used to. I've never met a seer before, other than the Major's brother. He claims he's not a seer though, he said he just "knows shit." Whatever it is, he saved my ass. He knew I wouldn't challenge the Major once I realized who he was, and he kept me from getting ripped apart and burned. My brand new ostrich boots were a small price to pay for that.

"So the Volturi won't let you live with your brother anymore?" This had been bothering me since he mentioned it back in the clearing. The little time I spent with them had shown me how close the two were. It was eerie how similar they looked, and they moved together like two parts of one being. I'm sure watching them fight together would be like watching an intricate dance.

The Major sighed and reached for his mate's hand before looking in the rearview mirror at me and answering. "No, I can't spend more than a week a year with him. They use Demetri to keep tabs on us, the dumb fucker. Prick couldn't even find us until he met us and now he thinks he's all powerful. Jerk." I had to smirk at his assessment of my rival. I knew my gift was more powerful than his; he relied on a mental signature, which meant he had to meet someone before he could find them again. My gift was based on scent alone, so I could pick up a trail from just an item of clothing, or anything that held scent. Maria had given me a small scrap of the Major's clothing and I found him within days.

"You do know I didn't have anything do with the Volturi finding you, don't you? I would never have betrayed you like that. I respect you, and the Captain as well." I hoped he could feel my sincerity; I didn't want him to wonder about that.

"No, I knew you didn't. We were betrayed by a former friend I should have never let live. I got soft when we moved up north and it almost cost us our lives. If Caius hadn't stepped in after I destroyed their guard, Aro would have had my head. Then Marcus saw my bond with Peter and was intrigued by it. I'm afraid we may have led them to you though, when Aro saw our memories. I hope you won't hold that against me."

"Never. They would have found me eventually. I had tracked down enough mates and rogues by that point I had probably had contact with most of the covens in North America. I really don't mind working for them now. They leave me alone and pay me well. Demetri is such a European snob, he hates coming to the 'New World' as he still calls it. I do most of my work over here; they just call me over when their pet tracker can't do his job right. It's not a bad life." I really didn't have much to complain about. I wasn't bored, and I sure wouldn't be now that I found Bella.

The Major was reading my mind again. "It'll be a better life now that you've got your mate. I have to tell ya, I'm glad it was you. When Alice told me Bella's mate was comin', there weren't many vampires I would have approved of. But I know you'll treat her well. And if not, I know I can kick your ass." Something told me he wasn't joking this time.

"How did you come to be friends with her? No offense, but you don't seem like the kind to just take up with random human girls."

"Well, that's due in part to my sweet Ali here, and the rest of the credit goes to Bella herself. Alice had a vision when she first saw Bella of her becoming a vampire. She had several visions of Edward killin' her as well, but most of them were of her with red eyes, and a mate she couldn't see clearly. Edward played on the visions and the fact that she was his singer, and told the family she was his mate." I had to fight a growl at his words, even though the threat was long gone now.

"So, Edward ran away up to Denali the day he met her, and Ali asked me to keep an eye on her at school. I was smug because the Cullens always gave me a hard time about my control, but I saw Bella before Edward did- she was in my English class- and I didn't react to her blood at all. It's almost like she's already a vampire to me, she doesn't smell like food. I feel very protective of her, like she's my little sister. We started talkin' in class together, mostly because Edward told me to stay away from her. We just bonded right away. We had the same taste in music, laugh at the same jokes, and her emotions are so pure I just love to soak them in."

"Wow. It's still hard to wrap my head around. My little human mate has the God of War as her protector. I guess she'll have Caius in her back pocket next. He's been wanting me to find my mate for years now." I know she already had me whipped.

"Yeah, I just hope she still wants to be my friend after she knows my history. She's so sweet and pure, I don't see how she can understand all the things I have done in the past. I don't know what I would do if I lost her friendship." I could see the pensive look on his face in the rearview mirror.

Alice leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Don't worry, Jazz. It will all work out. You'll see. Now, why don't you give Peter a call and let him know where we're headed. You always feel better after talking to him."

He nodded and took the phone after she dialed. "Pete?"

_Hey little fucker, we'll be meetin' y'all in New York and flyin' out with ya to Italy. _

"How? Ugh, never mind. And damn it, Pete, I'm your big brother!" I could hear some deep laughter on the other end of the line.

_It's all in how ya look at it. So, tell the pixie and the tracker I said hi, and I have a surprise for you and Bella when I see y'all. _

"What the hell? I swear, Pete, if you weren't my brother-"

_You'd still love me. Ok, I gotta run, Char wants me to pack my own shit. You know what a dictator she is._

"Yeah, well, at least she's a lot better lookin' than you are. Give her a kiss for me, we'll see ya in New York."

_Yup. Bye, Major._

"Bye, Pete." He looked at Alice with a fond smile and said, "I guess you ain't tellin' me nothin', right?"

"Baby, I would, but it will be so much better coming from Peter. I promise. Now, we're almost to Seattle and you and James need to hunt. We can find a hotel for Bella and I'll get our flight set up. I thought we could charter a plane to New York and then get a commercial flight to Italy. It will be best if you tell Bella your story on the way to New York, and then Peter and James can pick up where you met each other and fill in the rest from there. James, your story can wait, if you don't mind. She's really worried about Jasper right now so we need to set her straight on that end, and before she meets Peter. It's important, but I can't tell you why yet." Damn, that is definitely annoying.

The rest of the ride passed in silence. We found a hotel near the airport and I carried Bella upstairs and laid her on the bed. The Major helped her stay asleep, so I could set her down without her noticing. Alice, Victoria, and Laurent were going to stay in the room with her while I hunted with the Major. I could tell he was excited to go back to his normal diet, although I did feel a slight twinge of fear when I saw him again with red eyes. He looked more intimidating with his scars and red eyes, than he did with the gold. He just laughed at me and clapped me on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Tracker, I still won't bite ya unless I have to."

As the sun came up, I went back to the hotel to call Caius and he went to see his lawyer. He returned an hour later with a manilla envelope and I think he was projecting his nervousness about seeing Bella again. Of course, my sweet little mate just hugged him and complimented his eyes, asking him what was in the package. This caused his nerves to shoot back up again and he looked between me and Bella before looking down at his boots and answering almost shyly.

"Well, um, Ali told me after we met you that I needed to have papers made up for you, just in case. We didn't know exactly what would happen, but it was better to be prepared for anythin'. So, I had these made for you. I added a year to your age so we could get through customs without a problem. The thing is, I didn't know what name to put on them. I couldn't use Swan in case you were missin' or 'dead' or somethin', and I didn't wanna use Cullen 'cause I knew you wouldn't be one of them. I didn't know who your mate was at the time so I just went with my name, I hope that's ok. We can get them changed if you want, but we'll have to use these for this trip at least. Ali already booked the tickets that way." He trailed off, still fidgeting with the papers in his hand.

Bella pulled them out of his grasp and I leaned over her shoulder to look. There was a driver's license, passport, birth certificate, and high school diploma, all bearing the same name. "Isabella Marie Whitlock," my mate read out loud, "But, Jasper, I thought your last name was Hale?" She looked up at him with her brow wrinkled in confusion.

He laid his hand on hers and smiled, shaking his head. "No, darlin', that was Rose's name. I just used it for our human charade with the Cullens. I was born Jasper Whitlock, and my brother Peter and I were the last to carry our name. I would be honored if you would use it; I truly see you as my little sister, Bella. Do you wanna be Bella Whitlock?"

Bella looked at me with her eyebrows raised in question and I nodded my consent. I would prefer to give her my name when I take her as my wife, and I could see that she and the Major both wanted this. Alice was bouncing around behind them, practically quivering with excitement; I'm not sure what that was about. My mate turned back to the Major and threw her arms around his neck. It surprised me that I still didn't feel any jealousy toward him, there had to be a reason for that but I would try to think about that later.

"I would love to be your sister, Jasper. I'm thrilled to be Bella Whitlock. Now, I believe we have a plane to catch?"


	6. Scary Stories

**_AN: I will be going on vacation tomorrow so I probably won't update this week (I have nothing written past this chapter right now...) Baseball has been kicking my ass and it's spring break now so give me a couple weeks before you come searching for me ;)_**

_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story line. SM owns the characters, I'm just having fun with them._

**_Chapter 6- Scary Stories_**

**Bella POV  
**I was a little scared when I woke up in the strange hotel room with just Alice, Victoria and Laurent. Alice told me Jasper and James were hunting and asked me if I was ok with Jasper's diet change. I knew it should probably bother me that my mate and best friend were out there killing people right now, but there must be something wrong with me because I just couldn't bring myself to think ill of them. When I asked Alice if she would be hunting humans as well, she laughed as she told me she had no desire to leave the animal diet behind.

"Bella, I know Jasper and I haven't shared much of our past with you, but let me tell you a little about myself. I woke up as a vampire in 1920, with no memories of my human life, or even of the change itself. I had on a hospital bracelet that said 'Mary Alice Brandon' and what I assumed was my birthday. I was nineteen years old. I had no idea what a vampire was, hell, I didn't know what a human was for that matter. I began receiving visions almost immediately and I was able to piece together that I needed blood to survive and that I would be able to hunt animals.

"But my very first vision was of Jasper, my mate. He was so beautiful, and strong, and absolutely fearless. I decided to look for him and my visions immediately changed. No matter what happened, if I found him before he met the Volturi we would all die. I had to wait for years for him to be captured, and then I received a vision of the Cullens and knew where I could find him safely. I found them in Philadelphia in 1948. He was just starting the animal diet and struggling with it fiercely. He and Edward were at odds with each other, and the rest of the family was terrified of him. He was away from the house, trying to escape their emotions when he ducked into a coffee shop to get out of the rain. I walked right up to him and told him I'd been waiting for him for a long time. We've been together ever since.

"So, with all that, I've never tasted human blood and never been tempted to do so. I have nothing against those who do follow the traditional diet, it just isn't something I'm interested in pursuing." She smiled at me as she finished and laid her hands in her lap, waiting for my response.

"Wow, Alice, I can't imagine. You must have been so scared! What about the vampire who bit you? Why did they leave you alone?"

"The first time I met Aro he was able to pull my memories up even though I could not access them. I was put in an asylum when I was human because my family thought I was a witch. I predicted things before they happened and I was always right. My sire was working as an orderly there, to gain easy access to his meals. He changed me as a joke, a fun little game, and left me alone to see how much damage I would cause." I sucked in my breath at the lifeless tone in her normally cheerful voice. "Once Aro had my memories, he said he recognized my sire and that he had been executed not long after I was changed. I wasn't his only toy, apparently. The Volturi never looked for me because I didn't draw attention like the other crazed newborns had. My visions may have ended my human life, but they saved my immortal one many times over."

The room was silent as we contemplated Alice's story. I knew there were worse things that could happen, but completely losing yourself and waking up alone was one of the scariest things I could imagine. I stood up and pulled my tiny friend in for a fierce hug, or as fierce as hug as you can give a stone body. "I'm so sorry, Alice. I'm glad you have found the positives in your life, and so glad that Jasper has you. It's easy to see how much you love each other."

We were interrupted when James returned to the room and scooped me up for a hug. His eyes were bright rubies and I found the reason for that didn't bother me at all. I just leaned into his kiss and enjoyed the fact that the tight feeling in my chest had vanished with his arrival. Kissing James was my new favorite pastime. The world around us disappeared as he held me closely, but gently, and stroked my tongue with his. I sighed happily and felt him smile against my mouth. "Did you miss me?" he asked softly. "I'm sorry I wasn't here when you woke up. I planned to be back sooner than this."

My reply was cut off when he pressed his lips to mine again. He purred when I knotted my hands in his silky hair and tried to pull him closer. He pushed me back onto the bed and lightly pressed his weight on top of me. I felt his growl before I heard the laughter of the others and my face flushed crimson; I had forgotten we had an audience. James lifted his mouth from mine and groaned in frustration. "I _will_ get you alone, sweetheart, and _soon._"

Victoria cut in with her teasing tone and said, "You need to call a certain king, don't you, James? I thought we agreed they might like some warning as to who we're bringing to see them."

James sat up, pulling me onto his lap as he pulled a cell phone from his pocket. Noting my incredulous look he told me, "They make me carry it. It's a pain in the ass to stop and charge it but this is how I get my instructions." He scrolled through the short list of contacts until he found Caius and hit send. My mate had a vampire king on speed dial. Wow. I shook my head as James spoke into the phone. It was a little hard to follow only hearing his side of the conversation.

"Hey Caius. Yes. Yes, I'm coming. I have some guests with me and I thought I should give you time to prepare. Well, I found my mate, and she's... human. Yes, human. I know, I know. Yes, I need to see Aro before I change her, she's only seventeen. I know. Yes, she's gorgeous. Yes, she's shorter than me. Ok, yeah, ha ha. Ok, listen, I'm bringing someone else as well. You might want to warn Aro. Well, my mate has a very interesting best friend. He and his mate want to join my coven to help with Bella's change. Are you ready for this? It's the Major."

Even I could hear the muffled, _WHAT?!_ _THE Major? _from the phone in his hand. James cringed and pulled the phone away from his ear before smiling and continuing the conversation.

"YES! THE Major. That one. I think his brother is flying over with us as well. And I want to talk to you about that, their separation. Yeah, I know. What did Marcus say? Yeah, I bet he did. Ok, well, we're flying to New York in a few hours and then we'll head to Italy. We'll see you when we get there. Make sure everyone is well fed, please. I can't guarantee your guards' safety if they try to hurt my mate. She is very well protected. Ok, sure thing. I'll tell him. Thanks. Bye!"

I looked up at Laurent and Victoria, who were holding back laughter. I guess they could hear the other side of the conversation. Alice on the other hand, was smiling with tears in her eyes. "James, that was so nice of you. I can't see what Aro will decide, but it means a lot that you would speak up for Jasper and Peter. Thank you, so much."

James ducked his head and looked like he would be blushing if he could. "It was nothing. I just don't think it's right. They went through so much together, only to be forced apart? They don't deserve that."

Alice started to reply, but then cocked her head toward the door and shook her head. I understood a few minutes later when Jasper slowly opened the door and walked in with his head bowed. He was holding a manilla envelope and looked like he was doing his best to avoid looking at me. I knew immediately why he was nervous; he was afraid I would judge him after his hunt. I walked over to him and hugged him as I looked up into his now-red eyes. "You look good, Jasper! Before you kind of had a monotone look going on, with your hair matching your eyes and all. Kinda made you look washed out. So, what's in the package? Did you bring me something?"

He gave me a small smile before looking between me and James. When he pulled out my papers and explained about giving me his name I was floored. I was so honored that he wanted me to use his name and when I tried it out, it just felt right for some reason. I mean, I have always been Isabella Swan, but being Bella Whitlock felt right to me too. I focused on my gratitude and love for my new protector and gave him another hug.

We left the hotel and headed for the airport, where we breezed through security and were led to a small jet that I'm sure I didn't even want to know what it cost to rent. It just screamed luxury. I rolled my eyes at Alice who just shrugged unapologetically. "Bella, you better get used to money, because none of the vampires here are short on it." she laughed.

Boarding the plane, I rolled my eyes again and shook my head. James led me to a small sofa that was facing two more chairs and pulled me close to him. The rest of the group scattered around the plane, but Jasper came and sat in one of the chairs across from me. He kept his head bowed as the plane took off, not moving at all, even as the plane bounced and teetered as it ascended.

Once we were at a stable altitude, Jasper raised his head and ran his hand over his face looking as weary as a perfectly gorgeous vampire can look. "Bella, I need to tell you about my past. It's not somethin' I like to talk about but you need to know where I come from. Alice said I need to tell you before you meet my brother, Peter, in New York. I'm just gonna talk through it and then if you have questions I'll answer them."

I nodded when he met my eyes and sat back against James as Jasper began his story. He focused his gaze above our heads, not meeting our eyes, as he spoke in a detached tone about his human life back in Texas, going off to fight in the civil war, and being changed by Maria. She sounded like a total bitch and I knew one of my questions for him would be whether she was dead or not. He told us how he quickly discovered and began honing his gift, and that when Maria discovered it she molded him into a powerful weapon. He described his quick spiral into depression not long after he was changed, but added that he had no idea what to do about it; he knew no other life outside of that one.

"About five years after my change, Maria began askin' me questions about my human family. I couldn't remember much to tell her, since I lost most of my memories in the burn. I could vaguely recall a younger sister and brother, but I had no idea what happened to them or my parents, or even how old they were.

"I got more suspicious when Maria began changin' her soldiers in pairs, specifically in pairs of siblings. At first, I had no idea why she was doin' it. I mean, she didn't keep them any longer than the other soldiers; they were still destroyed at the end of their newborn year. Then she changed a pair of brothers. They were young, and they looked like twins, even though they said one was older. She quickly discovered that Benjamin could control the elements: earth, wind, water, fire. His brother Levi could turn invisible. Freaked us the fuck out when he was fightin' and just disappeared into thin air.

"She actually confessed to me that she had a theory. She had heard of the Volturi witch twins and wondered if the blood relatives of gifted vampires would likely be gifted too. That was the first moment I was truly grateful for forgettin' about my human family. I couldn't put them in danger if I had no idea where or who they were. It was bad enough that she turned me into a disgusting monster, her own walking angel of death, but at least my hands were clean of my family's blood.

"I had been with Maria for about twenty years when Peter dropped back into my life. The fucker was way out on a ranch in west Texas, as far from our home in Houston as he could get without leavin' the state. Of course I was with Maria and she spotted him first. He was starin' at me in complete shock but at first I had no idea who he was. Maria asked him his name and was ecstatic when he said 'Peter Whitlock, ma'am.' His mama taught us both to be gentlemen, you see. Lookin' at him was like lookin' in a mirror and my memories came rushin' in all at once. He knew me as well, even though he was only three when I left for the war. He said Pa kept my picture up on the mantle all those years, and told my brother what a fine hero I was. Little did he know...

"I knew Maria would want him but I didn't want to damn my brother to this existence. So, I told her I would change him, only I had no intention of doing that. I looked my brother in the eye, ready to end his life. Just before I bit him, Maria asked him about our sister. I glared at him hard and shook my head a little. It didn't matter; he told us that she had died not long after I did. My heart broke then, as I realized I would be the one to single-handedly end our family line. He didn't make a sound when I bit him, and I felt his love and acceptance as he looked me straight in the eye. At the last possible moment I made the most selfish choice in my life and I let him change."

Jasper finally looked at me and I could see his mood lift, even without feeling it. He must have really hated his vampire life before he met his brother again. I could see he felt guilty for changing Peter, but he must have made his peace with it some time ago. I leaned over and put my hand on his clenched fist and patted him softly. He gave me a small smile before continuing his story, this time with more animation.

"Peter was not a typical newborn. He was always in a good mood, and not even the head bitch could bring him down. He took to the trainin' with no trouble. I didn't have to break him; even if I didn't deserve it, he already respected me and had looked up to me his whole life. The rest of the idiots always tried to fight me, but he followed my orders to the letter. Like me, he was a natural fighter and by the end of his newborn year he was the only one who could challenge me. Maria was disappointed that he didn't seem to have a gift, but she knew better than to push me to get rid of him. We fought side by side for more than fifty years until he met his mate, Charlotte. They got me out of the wars, but I'll let him tell you about that part when you meet them, I know you'll love her."

With that, he sat back in his chair and ducked his head again, looking for all the world like he was afraid someone would kick him or something. His shame was leaking out from his gift, and I glanced at James, who nodded at me, before I walked over to stand in front of Jasper. I laid my hand on his shoulder and said, "Hey? Jasper? You ok?" I looked up when Alice walked over and took the chair next to him, smiling at me in encouragement.

He finally looked at her, then back at me, with his eyes wide now. "Why are you feeling like that? Why aren't you disgusted with me? How can you still... you love me? How?"

"Oh, Jas, of course I love you! You're my best friend! And now, knowing everything you have been through, I admire you that much more! You have to be one of the strongest people I have ever met! I mean, you fought in the Civil War! How awesome is that? And then some vampire war too? You saved your brother, and left the war zone behind you." He started to speak but I shook my head and put my hand up to stop him. "You befriended a plain human girl who was new at school, and you let her into your world with no ulterior motives. You protected her when she needed you, and you're still here protecting her. You can tell me whatever stories you want, Jasper, but it won't change the fact that I know who you are. I know the sweet, funny guy who steals my iPod and makes fun of my music. I know the artist who draws caricatures of our teachers and classmates when he's pretending to take notes. I know the vampire who loves his mate so much that he shops with her whenever she wants and holds countless bags without even feigning boredom. I know your heart, Jasper, and I know it's a good one."

There was complete silence for almost a full minute as I stared at Jasper, willing him to see what I see. I didn't even see him move before he grabbed me in a tight hug, pressing his face into my stomach. "Thank you, Bella. Thank you so much. Thank you so, so much. I love you too, darlin'. You're my very first true friend and I am so grateful for you. Thank you." My brain finally caught up with his words and actions and I ran my hand through his wild blonde curls, seeing the boy he was as he dropped his guard for me.

We stayed like that for several minutes until the pilot came over the speaker telling us we were about to land. Jasper let me go and I walked back to sit with James, who put his arm around me and kissed my head. Alice was smiling brilliantly and bouncing in her seat so much that Jasper had to reach over and hold her down.

As we filed off the plane, my eyes went immediately to the red-eyed vampires who met us at the gate. Peter looked almost identical to Jasper, except his hair was lighter, more of a white blonde instead of Jasper's honey color, and it was straighter, hanging down to his shoulders. Charlotte was the same size and build as Alice but her hair was the color of Peter's and hung in waves down past her waist. She smiled at me and waved, and I felt drawn to them immediately.

Peter and Jasper were locked in a tight man-hug until Peter patted his back and pulled away. He turned and looked at me with his arm over Jasper's shoulder and said, "So, brother, you gonna introduce me to our niece?"


	7. Confessions

**_AN: Sorry for the delay but I'm posting this from the ballpark where I have spent every day from the moment we got back in town last week. My oldest child is home with my youngest who spent all week at the fields and found out yesterday she has the flu. Mom of the year award goes to..._**

**_Anyway, I'm tired of editing this chapter and it's a bit wordy, but the action will be picking up soon. I have the next chapter a little over halfway done now._**

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_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story line. SM owns the characters, I'm just having fun with them._

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_Previously:  
Peter and Jasper were locked in a tight man-hug until Peter patted his back and pulled away. He turned and looked at me with his arm over Jasper's shoulder and said, "So, brother, you gonna introduce me to our niece?"_

**_Chapter 7- Confessions_**

**Alice POV  
**Oh, Peter. I swear if that man wasn't my brother-in-law, I would wring his neck. For a such a cryptic guy, sometimes he really doesn't grasp the concept of subtlety. He also has a bad habit of making last minute decisions; I think he does it just to fuck with my visions. Up until about thirty seconds ago, I saw him taking us to a quiet room and easing into the story of their relationship slowly. Jasper would be mad at first, but Bella would calm him down and everything would be great. Now I see Jasper frozen in shock for the next few hours and us missing our flight to Italy.

Ooh, Bella just decided to intervene. Good girl. I nodded and gave her a thumbs up as she walked across to shake Peter's hand. "Hi, Peter? I'm Bella. I think you might have just broken Jasper, do you think we can fix him?" Oh good grief, she is so related to them both.

Peter threw his head back laughing, before pulling a startled Bella into a tight hug. "Well, hello Sugar. We've actually met before but I don't know if you'll remember. It's been about thirteen years or so. You were just a little bitty thing back then." What on earth? Oh, I see. Peter really is a good guy, and he sure is protective of his family.

Looks like Bella just connected the dots. "My angel? You were real? How? I mean... oh my god, this is amazing! Thank you so much!" Everyone looked on confused as Bella burst into tears and Peter held her tight to his chest. After a few minutes she pulled back, wiping her face. "I'm so sorry. It's just, I haven't thought about that in years. I had convinced myself you were just a dream."

"Will somebody tell me what the hell is goin' on? Niece? Angel? How the hell do you two know each other? Explain yourselves, NOW!" Oh, Jasper is pissed. That's not good.

James looked between Jasper and his mate, but Laurent and Victoria held him back. I glanced at Charlotte and shook my head, I didn't want my mate to hurt her accidentally if she got in the way. Peter pulled Bella behind him before turning to face his brother. "Look, Jas, I need to tell ya somethin' but I need you to keep a level head. You don't want Bella gettin' hurt do ya?" Jasper kept his glare fixed on him and didn't move at all. Peter sighed deeply before pushing Bella toward her mate. He must have known what Jasper was going to do when he found out what Peter was going to tell him.

"Ok, Major. You know I love ya, you're my brother and I would do anythin' in the world for you. Before you turned me, there was only one other person I loved even more than you. One person I would put above my relationship with you, one person who I would lay down my life to protect. One person that would make me lie to my big brother, my hero. The only lie I ever told you in all these years together." He looked straight in Jasper's eyes, eyes that widened when he realized what Peter meant.

"Abbie?" Jasper whispered. "She wasn't dead? You knew she was alive and you didn't tell me?" I closed my eyes when Jasper when to punch Peter, even if that didn't block the vision from my mind. I heard Bella gasp and was relieved when the sound snapped Jasper out of his rage. He slowly sank to his knees in front of his brother. Peter knelt in front of him and ducked down to meet his gaze.

"You know I had to do it, Jas. I couldn't let Maria know she was out there; she would have never stopped searching for her. I would never lie to you without a good reason, I did it to save her life." Jasper nodded and pulled Peter in for hug. I could tell the others were shocked, apart from Bella. Those who only knew the Major had no idea how loving and affectionate Jasper really was. It wasn't hard to understand that as an empath he was often ruled by his emotions, whether they were good or bad.

"I'm so sorry, Pete. I shouldn't have hit ya. You didn't deserve that. But why didn't you tell me about her when we left the south? Why wouldn't you tell me she had grown up and had a life? A family?"

"Jas, it had been fifty years! I had no idea what happened to her! I knew you had already grieved her and moved on; it seemed cruel to bring her up again. I mean, the one place we knew to look for her was the only place we couldn't go- Texas." Peter stood up and pulled Jasper along with him. "Ok, so who's gonna make the introductions? I know most of ya here, but I'm Peter Whitlock, Jasper's handsome older brother. And this lovely creature is my mate and wife, Charlotte." Jasper rolled his eyes at Peter's words, it was a source of constant debate between the two of them.

"You ain't older than me, Pete. We've been over and over this."

"Human years, Jasper, human years. I'm always gonna be 26 and you're always gonna be 19. No matter how much you argue, you can't change the facts, brother." Peter shook his head in mock sympathy before turning to face the group again. "So, Tracker, I know you're mated to my niece here, but who are your lovely coven mates?"

James and Bella were now laughing at Peter's antics. "Captain, it's great seeing you again. This is Laurent and his mate, Victoria. They have been my companions for several decades now."

Laurent stepped forward and dipped his head toward Peter. "Nice to meet you, Captain. We have heard much about you from James, he was quite proud of his story of your meeting. I'm sure he exaggerated his talents as usual." he finished with a smirk toward James.

Peter was laughing again, as usual. "No, Laurent, his talents are quite remarkable as I'm sure you know. Not only his trackin' abilities, but his sense of self-preservation as well. I can't tell you how many idiots came to challenge my brother and I after we left Maria. James turned submissive as soon as he realized who he had tracked down. Of course, I helped defuse the situation because I _knew_ we needed to keep him alive. Seein' him here now with the little one, I'm glad the Major listened to me."

Bella finally found her voice, "Umm, Peter? Are you going to tell us what's going on? How am I your niece? How were you in my room when I was four years old?" James and Jasper both growled at that. She turned and glared at them both. "Oh, please. Enough with the growling already. He just said I was his niece. Does it look like he hurt me? Get over yourselves." She crossed her arms and tapped her foot on the ground.

"Well, Sugar, there is an explanation for all that, but right now we need to get on our plane. Alice, did you see what I did?" Peter decided to lead us to the hangar where our private jet was being readied for takeoff. How on earth did he sneak that one past me? I nodded and he continued, "Jasper, I had your plane moved here last month so we will have more privacy for the trip across the ocean. I know you have trouble flying with multiple vampires on commercial flights." Damn, I should have thought of that. We always tried to fly alone when we could manage it. The close quarters with the humans, along with the extra bloodlust from additional vampires was not a good combination for my mate. He shouldn't have as much trouble now that he is back on human blood, but I would hate to take chances with Bella on board.

Jasper came and wrapped me in a warm hug, sending me his love and devotion. "It's ok, Ali, you did good. Pete owed me for all this shit. Let's just get outta here, ok?" I nodded and tried to prepare myself mentally for the long flight ahead. I avoided searching for visions pertaining to Italy and instead focused on the immediate future. I had a niece to watch out for after all.

**James POV  
**I have never been so confused in my life. The Captain told us that Bella, my mate, is somehow related to him and the Major. I immediately thought back to the story the Major told us about Maria's theory. I already knew it was true; my uncle Garrett, found me several years after my change and helped me hone my gift. He also has a gift, one of persuasion. He can talk you into doing whatever he wants you to do. It served him well as an orator during the American Revolution.

I worried what this news might mean for my mate. She was already in a vulnerable position, going to the Volturi as a human. I wish I could go ahead and change her, but the kings were trying to move the acceptable age for changing humans up to eighteen. There were too many unstable vampires who were changed earlier in their teen years that made them question the wisdom of such changes. I know the vampire I just killed was changed at seventeen, and he obviously wasn't all there.

If my mate had a gift, and the Major already told me he suspected she was a shield, it would make her even more desirable to the Volturi. I hoped her status as my mate would keep her out of their grasp, but I worried we may have to fight for her, especially if she was grouped by blood with the feared Major and Captain. I didn't know if my friendship with Caius would be enough to keep us safe, or if Aro would force his hand on this.

"Tracker, what's got you so worried?" I was so lost in thought I didn't notice the Major in front of me and I actually jumped a little when he startled me. He laid his hand on my shoulder and I instantly felt calmer; Bella's arm around my waist completed the feeling. I looked between them before locking eyes with the Major. I knew he would feel what I couldn't say in front of my mate- my fear and apprehension.

"Nothing. Just ready to get in the air. Bella, do you need anything before we go?" I saw his nod out of the corner of my eye as I turned to look down at her. She smiled brilliantly and raised up to kiss me lightly.

"Nope, I've got you. That's enough for me!" Wow, she is seriously the best thing I could have ever found. She's perfect, and she's absolutely perfect for me. I just hope I get to keep her.

We moved our luggage to the new jet and I rolled my eyes at the large "W" on the tail of the plane. Just how much money do the Whitlocks have? Obviously much more than I do, and I'm not poor by any means. We got settled on the plane, this time all of us were gathered around a large table; the men were seated with our mates in our laps. I spent the few minutes during takeoff with my nose buried in Bella's hair and my arms wrapped tightly around her. There was no place I'd rather be.

Once the plane leveled out, the Captain cleared his throat and began to speak. "Ok, I'm sure Jasper told y'all a little about me but he ain't as gifted a speaker as his older brother, so I'll just start at the beginnin' and fill in the missin' pieces. Our Pa was Jeremiah Whitlock, and he owned a small farm outside of Houston, Texas. He married his childhood sweetheart, who gave birth to Jasper and to Abigail." Bella gasped when he said that name and I saw her eyes were wide as saucers. The Captain just winked at her and continued his story.

"Now, Jasper and Abbie's mama passed away when Abbie was just a baby. Pa had a hard time raisin' two kids on his own so when he met my mama, they were married right away. I was born not long after that, and the family was complete. I don't really remember life when Jasper was home, he left when I was just three years old to fight in the war, but I do remember when he went missin' three years later. Our parents and Abbie were devastated, but Mama and Pa both told us stories about my brother, the war hero, and I looked at his picture up on the mantle every single day I lived at home. I wanted to be just like Jasper when I grew up.

"Life after the war was hard, and my Pa didn't take losin' his farm too easy. We moved to town and he started drinkin' away the money that Mama was bringin' in with her sewin' and shit. He was killed in a bar fight five years after the war ended, and Mama passed in her sleep not too long after that. Abbie was just sixteen but she found a job teachin' school and I found odd jobs around town, just enough to keep food on the table for us.

"I left home when I turned eighteen and headed west. I wanted out of the city, and away from the memories of our parents and the brother I thought I lost. Abbie was bein' courted by a businessman from up north somewhere, and he told me if I left town he would marry her and take her away from Texas and give her a fresh start. She was an old maid by the standards of the day, at twenty-two, but after the war there weren't a lot of choices left for girls her age to marry.

"So, I moved west and found work on a ranch where I stayed until Maria and Jasper found me. I knew immediately that they weren't human, just like I knew that Jasper was in fact my lost brother. I can't really explain it, I've just always gotten these feelin's and shit. Things just pop in my head when I need to know somethin'. I knew I had to lie to Jasper and make sure nobody went lookin' for our sister. It was the hardest thing I ever did, but I still don't regret it for a minute.

"Anyway, so my brother here changed me and I fell into vampire life pretty easy-like. I just did what he told me to do and I fought the bad guys and life was pretty good. We rocked along for nigh on fifty years until I stumbled across my sweet little darlin' here, Charlotte. I knew she was my mate, and I wasn't that good at changin' people so I asked Jasper to do it for me. He agreed, even though mates weren't allowed back at camp. We hid our relationship for almost a year before the head bitch found us out. Jasper tried to get me to take Charlotte and run, but I told him we weren't leavin' without him. He knew just how stubborn I can be, and he was tired of the war life anyway so we took off north and never looked back."

Wow, he certainly is the talker out of the bunch. The Major does good to put two sentences together, but his brother just keeps going and going. He still didn't tell us anything new though, and I wondered if my mate or the Major would be the one to call him on it. Of course I was completely wrong and Alice spoke up. "Peter, you might want to speed up your story. Jasper is getting a little antsy and while the rest of us can survive if the plane goes down over the Atlantic, I'm fairly certain Bella can't. Oh James, please. Stop growling, I was just kidding." What, it's involuntary. I bet none of them could handle having a fragile human mate; I think I'm doing a damn good job so far on not being over-protective.

Bella turned in my lap and kissed me softly. "I think your growls are very sexy, baby." she whispered. Damn, that went straight to my dick. Ugh, stop wiggling around sweetheart, you're making it worse...

"Oh my god, can you two lay off the lust please? If Pete ever finishes his story and I find out how I'm related to Bella, I can't be feelin' that lust. That ain't good." The Major shivered and made a disgusted face. Bella just stuck her tongue out at him and wiggled closer to me, causing me to groan.

"At least you just have to feel them. I have to see what Bella is deciding to do to him when she gets him alone. I just have to say, Bella, you're pretty creative for a virgin." Alice nodded toward my mate. Wait, what? Did she just say virgin? Yes, yes, YES! My inner beast is doing a victory dance. I cut off whatever Bella was going to say with a deep kiss, cupping her blush-warmed cheeks in my hands. Her heart was racing when I finally let her come up for air, and I couldn't keep the huge grin off my face. Laurent and the Captain were both smirking at me, and the other three ladies were all shaking their heads.

"Ok, so on that note, I'll move on with the story. I'm gonna skip over the years we spent wanderin' around, you can tell her about our meetin' later, Tracker." I nodded and he continued, "The Volturi came and cleaned out the Southern warlords starting in the mid-1940's. Maria had completely gone off her rocker and she and some of her rivals had gotten a little too careless with their armies. The Volturi killed thousands of vampires from Georgia all the way to California, and all over Mexico. They kept some of the gifted vampires for their guard, and they used the memories of the captured and killed to search out those who had escaped. We were obviously high on the search list, but we knew how to stay hidden and we did, for a while anyway.

"In 1947, one of our former officers, who I had told Jasper needed to be killed, spilled our location to the Volturi guards. They found us, and surrounded us, but we beat the shit out of them and burned half of them before the kings showed up with the witch twins to subdue us. Aro was goin' to kill us, but Marcus saw that we were brothers in both blood and venom, and Caius was already a huge fan of the Major, so they stood up for us, sparin' our lives. Aro ordered our punishment, bannin' us from livin' together and keepin' us across the ocean from Volterra. He let me and Char live alone, but stuck my brother with the Cullens to be 'tamed' or some such shit. Carlisle owed Aro some favors, and he wanted someone to keep an eye on Jasper since he was so scared of him. Cauis wasn't happy because he wanted us in his guard, and Marcus didn't like us bein' kept from each other.

"After they took Jasper away from me, Marcus pulled me aside and asked about our family. He told me he could see our connection, and he could see that we had another living relative out there in common with each other. He said our sister must have had a family, and encouraged me to seek out the last remainin' member of our line. It took me more than ten years, but I finally found our sister's granddaughter, Marie, and her newborn son, Charlie, living in Forks, Washington." Bella and Jasper both gasped at that, and Alice whispered to the rest of us that Charlie was Bella's father.

"So that means, I'm your... what? Great-great-great-niece? Is that right? I'm really related to both of you? This is so cool! I wish I could tell Charlie about this, he loves geneology and he has a whole box of old family photos and papers up in the attic!" Bella was bouncing in my lap again, this time in sheer joy.

"That's right, Sugar. I went and saw your Grandma Marie and I planned to stay there and keep an eye on her and Charlie, but I ran into those stupid wolves from LaPush. They kept chasin' me off, so I tried to make a treaty with them like the Cullens had done. They said they didn't care who I was related to, my red eyes were enough for them to kill me. There was one wolf, his last name was Clearwater, and he said he'd keep watch over them for me, but I had to leave and never come back. For the next 30 years I had to just bide my time and hope for the best. I checked in every few years, and used the newspapers to keep an eye on Charlie as he grew up; he was a baseball star in high school, and then was honored all the way through the police academy. His wedding to your mother was in there, as well as your birth announcement, Bella.

"When you were four years old, I had one of my feelin's and _knew_ I had to get to Phoenix in a hurry. I had no idea why, or who I was goin' to see, because I didn't know Renee had moved you down there. Char and I ran straight down from our home in Colorado late one night, and I slipped into your room just as your mother's boyfriend was closin' the door behind him and headin' for your bed. I gave him the benefit of the doubt at first, but the second he reached for his belt buckle I grabbed him and tossed him out the window to Char. You woke up and looked at me with those big brown eyes that I hadn't seen since the last time I looked in a mirror when I was still human. I thought you would be afraid but you just smiled and patted my hand, askin' me if I was an angel. We sat and talked until you fell asleep right there in my arms." Peter looked like he wanted to cry, and Jasper and I were both growling again. I felt Bella shaking and smelled her tears when she got up and moved around the table to hug Peter and Charlotte both.

"Thank you. I remember seeing you, but I never knew why you were there. I'm so glad you came. So you really did pay the bills and bring me food and clothes all those years? Renee said it was some charity but it was you the whole time wasn't it?" She broke off, crying again, and when Peter just nodded, Jasper came over to hug them all. I glanced at Alice and we smiled at the picture they made together.

Peter pulled back and sat Bella down on his other knee, next to Charlotte. "So, Char and I moved down to Phoenix, and let me tell you that ain't the easiest place to live when you're a vampire. But I wasn't about to pass up the chance to watch over you without those damn wolves around. We were there up until your flaky mother sent you back to your dad in Washington. This time I knew Jas would be there, so I decided to let Alice know about you. She took over for the past few months, even if she didn't do the best job..."

"Alice, why the hell didn't you tell me who Bella was? I would've tore Edward to pieces for touchin' my niece! Damn it, I could have stopped him!" Jasper fumed.

"And that, baby, is exactly why I didn't tell you. You know what the Volturi would have done if you had killed Edward without just cause. James had that ability; you did not. I am sorry, Bella, but I do swear I had no idea what Edward was doing to you. I would have stopped him if I had. I still don't know how he got around my visions, and I hope Aro can tell us that."

Bella nodded and then frowned. "Wait, what? How can Aro tell us?"

The other six vampires all looked at me and smirked. Guess I'm not getting any help there; bunch of fucking traitors. "That one's all on you, Tracker. She is your mate, after all." The Major was smiling again at least.

"Yeah, but she's your blood, and you have known her longer..." I grimaced when they just shook their heads and laughed at me. Bella came back to sit with me again and ran her hand across my forehead.

"What's wrong, James? I don't understand."

Sighing, I turned so Bella was the only face I could see. "Sweetheart, Aro has a gift. With one touch, he can see every thought, every memory, you've ever had. That's how the Volturi knew to look for your uncles, and how they knew I had a tracking gift. He is the judge when someone is accused, he can immediately tell if they are guilty or not. When I do a job for them, finding someone they want for whatever reason, I have occasionally in the past had to use violence to get them to come along. I have had to separate certain vampires into pieces for transport to Volterra, and along the way it was discovered that those pieces didn't have to be reassembled in order for Aro to read their memories.

"I don't have to do it a lot; generally I just find the vampires and let the guard do the rest. But there have been times when there was a risk of exposure and the guard was too far away so we had to take matters into our own hands." Laurent and the Major started giggling like school girls at my choice of words. I glared at Laurent but continued my story, keeping my eyes locked on my mate's for any sign of fear.

"Ok, so, when I destroyed Edward I wasn't exactly thinking rationally the whole time. You could say I was rather pissed off at the state I found you in. Laurent stayed in control and he stopped me before I could throw the last piece of that prick into the fire, reminding me that it might be a good idea to let Aro get his memories. So... we brought his hand along for Aro to read when we get to Volterra." I rushed through the last sentence, halfway hoping she wouldn't catch it. Her face didn't move for almost a full minute, fairly impressive for a human, then I saw the Major flinch just before she gasped in horror.

"Edward's _hand_ is on the plane with us?!"


	8. Phenomenon

_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story line. SM owns the characters, I'm just having fun with them._

**_Chapter 8- Phenomenon_**

**Bella POV  
**I couldn't believe what my mate just told me. Edward's cold, dead hand was sitting on the airplane somewhere. Just thinking about it gave me chills. And the vampire king, Aro, was going to _touch _it and read his memories? Eww. I hadn't seen it when we were in the clearing so Victoria or Laurent must have had it, my money was on Laurent. What did he do, just pick it up and put it in his pocket?

"Don't worry Sugar, it's ain't crawling around up here with us, it's down in the cargo hold. We stuck it in a good metal box, it shouldn't be able to work its way out before we land." Peter's attempt to reassure me caused my stomach to immediately revolt.

"Excuse me," I managed to choke out before I ran full speed for the tiny bathroom that I was grateful to find on board the vampire airplane. My stomach emptied violently and I felt cool hands on my forehead and the back of my neck as James witnessed my shameful reaction.

"Oh Sweetheart, I'm so sorry. We really weren't thinking, Bella. I know you're not used to the darker side of vampire life, and _we_ shouldn't have been so calloused about it." I think that last statement was a dig at Peter; James had been anything but callous when dealing with me. I leaned back against my mate and took a deep breath as I tried to calm myself. I felt Jasper's help and focused on my appreciation for him.

"You're welcome, darlin'," he called from the main cabin.

James pulled me to my feet and stood back while I washed my face and rinsed the foul taste from my mouth. "Are you better now?" he asked softly. I nodded as he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close so I could breathe in his comforting scent. We stayed like that for several minutes until he pulled back and said, "You want to go sit back with the others?"

As I thought about my answer, I couldn't suppress a yawn. I didn't know what time it was but we had been on airplanes all day after being in the car most of the night before and with all the new information, I was exhausted. "Is there somewhere I can lay down for a while and take a nap?" Alice walked up, surprising me again, and led us to a lavish bedroom with a king size bed at the back of the plane.

"No funny business, you two. And no thinking about it, or deciding to do it. You're surrounded by vampires with highly developed senses and you share DNA with two of them." Alice admonished us. I knew I was blushing and when I glanced at James I could have sworn his white face had a pink tinge to it. It seemed my mate was just as easily embarrassed as I was. We really were perfect together.

We shut the door and settled on the bed together, James holding me closely to his chest. I tried to fall asleep but couldn't relax enough so I asked James to tell me about himself. He told me how he was born in Pennsylvania in 1780 and lived with his parents until they were killed by the Iroquois when he was just eleven years old. He supported himself in the wilderness and gained fame as a skilled hunter and trapper. I was surprised to learn that he was changed when he was 25, by Laurent of all people, when he was almost killed by a bear he was tracking. They traveled together for several years until James found his uncle, Garrett, and parted ways with his sire.

James traveled around North America for years, both alone and with his vampire uncle. He soon became bored now that hunting animals was no longer a challenge. As he made his way west, he began tracking down humans who were wanted by law enforcement. He collected the bounties and quickly built up a sizeable savings. Vampires soon sought him out to track down their enemies, mates, or lost coven members and his reputation quickly grew. He said the only bounty he never collected was the one for my uncles that was put out by Maria. He respected them and knew better than to challenge either of them. I finally drifted off to sleep as he was telling me about how he met the Volturi and was offered a job with them. I'll have to get him to tell me about it later.

We landed in Italy after the longest flight I'd ever taken. I spent most of the ride asleep in my mate's arms, but James and I did take advantage of the bed when I woke up. He kept growling in between kisses so I think the others must have been teasing him, but if I couldn't hear them I could pretend we were alone for a little while at least. He didn't take things too far, probably because of Alice saying that I was a virgin. I still couldn't believe she blurted that out in front of everyone. I just hoped she wouldn't embarrass me in front of the Volturi.

I was extremely nervous as we approached the castle, and Jasper had to keep a hand on me at all times to keep my emotions manageable. It was hard to get used to the idea that I truly was a Whitlock and Jasper and Peter were my great-uncles; I kept waiting to wake up from the strange dream that had suddenly taken over my life. We were ushered through some large wooden doors that led to a generic looking waiting area with a very human receptionist. Jasper felt my shock and leaned over to tell me she was there as part of their human façade, for castle tours and such. He added that she did know who she was working for, as well as the possibility that she would served for lunch.

Completely surrounded by my vampires, we silently waited to be called into the throne room. James had me wrapped in his arms and Peter and Jasper each had a hand on me as well. So far I had only caught glimpses of the Volturi guards, all dressed in dark cloaks, complete with hoods. I had to stifle a laugh when I saw a guard as big as Emmett with his frilly black cape perched regally on his shoulders. Jasper pinched me lightly when he felt my amusement, but he couldn't hold his own smirk back either. It didn't help things when the vampire in question turned and winked at me when he caught me looking.

"So, Tracker, do I get to meet the little mate you're hiding there? She smells quite lovely, you know." Cue the growls in surround sound. Good grief. "Oh, please, I was just kidding. Caius wasn't kidding when he said your mate was well-protected. I've never seen this many powerful vampires guarding a single human girl. You must be pretty special there, little one. What's your name? I'm Felix." The dimples that appeared when he smiled filled me with a sudden longing for Emmett and I felt Jasper's hand tighten on my arm.

"He's always reminded me of him too. You'll see that they act a lot alike too, but I'm pretty sure Emmett couldn't wear that cape with a straight face" Jasper whispered to me with a wink of his own. Then his face hardened as he turned to face the giant vampire. "Felix!"

"Uh, y-yes, Major, s-sir." I didn't realize vampires could actually stutter. Interesting. I wondered if Jasper was sending him fear or not.

"Can I count on your protection regardin' my niece here? She's pretty damn special to me and I'd hate for somethin' to happen to her on your watch." Oh, that's so sweet! I reached out and squeezed his hand and he turned to give me a big smile before putting his "mean" face back on.

"Your niece? I didn't realize, sir. Yes, sir. I will guard her with my life. You can count on me, Major." I was shocked when he actually kneeled before me, Peter and Jasper moving slightly out to make room for him. "Miss, I am at your service. You have strong protectors, and I am honored to be counted among them."

I had no idea how to respond to him so I glanced at James, who just smiled and nodded at me. That's helpful, dear. "Oh, um, thanks, Felix. I'm Bella. It's nice to meet you?" I looked at Jasper now in question and he nodded as well. What, did the men in my life suddenly lose their voices? What the hell am I supposed to do with the giant vampire kneeling in front me? My confusion was cut short with the addition of a snide voice entering from the hallway to our right.

"Ah, the bounty hunter has arrived. Let any good criminals go lately? Or have you fallen back on tracking humans again? We don't pay cash for those you know, we just eat them." the unknown vampire finished with a leer in my direction, only to be lifted off his feet by Felix in a movement faster than I could follow.

"Demetri, I wouldn't go messing with that one. She's with the Whitlocks, and the tracker's her mate." Felix growled in the smaller man's face. So this must be my mate's rival. Not much to look at in my opinion. He had kind of a metrosexual look going on. Must be a European thing.

The confrontation was interrupted by the large doors opening, and I was immediately surrounded by my vampires again. Jasper and James had me sandwiched tightly between them this time, and I wasn't sure how we were going to move forward, when I heard the voice of a young girl utter in a very bored tone of voice, "Enter."

Jasper and Peter appeared to be having a tense conversation at vampire speed but Jasper finally growled and stepped forward slightly. He and Peter stood shoulder to shoulder, with their mates slightly behind them , standing close to me. James kept his hands on my shoulders and I saw Victoria and Laurent on either side of him. I was pushed forward gently when the group started to move and I reached forward to put my hands on my uncles' backs so I wouldn't fall down. Our strange procession moved slowly into a large room that seemed to be filled with vampires. I could hear their low voices echoing in the circular stone room, but I couldn't see around my wall of protectors.

We finally stopped moving but my vampires tensed where they stood as I glimpsed a small blonde girl in a deep black cloak walking toward us. She stopped when one of the vampires behind her stood and clapped his hands and all the voices around us ceased. "Welcome, welcome, dear friends! James, it's so good to see you here with your mate, at last. And you brought some new friends as well? Captain, Major, can you move aside please? We mean no harm to the human. We only wish to see her." James whispered that it was ok, and then pulled me behind him slightly when the others moved to the side.

"Aro, Marcus, Caius, may I present my mate, Isabella Whitlock." It was almost comical as the room full of vampires who had no need to breathe, all gasped at the same exact moment. I took the time to look at the kings before me. I recognized them from the ancient painting in Carlisle's office, but it was definitely intimidating to see them in the flesh. Marcus had dropped the bored look he was sporting and was looking between me, Jasper, Peter, and James. I remembered James telling me that he had a gift for seeing bonds and I wondered what he saw with us.

Aro looked shocked, and if I was reading his face right, he actually looked scared. His eyes shifted between my mate and my uncles, barely pausing to look at me. Caius looked like the cat that ate the canary. He had a huge grin on his face as he nodded at James, before tipping his head toward Jasper. I caught him glancing over at Marcus and the two shared a significant look behind Aro's back.

"Isabella, it is a great pleasure to meet you. James, may I?" Aro asked with his hand outstretched. I realized he wanted to use his gift on me and I was a little frightened to touch the ancient vampire. Jasper reached over and squeezed my hand, pulling my fear away and filling me with peace and a bit of confidence. James wrapped his arm around me and pulled me slightly forward with him as he stepped toward Aro. He nodded to Aro's waiting hand, pulling me tighter to his side as I reached forward.

Aro's grasp was much lighter than I expected. He barely touched my skin as he held my hand in his larger one. I took the opportunity to study his skin. It looked different from my vampires'- it almost had a papery texture to it. It felt drier and almost brittle against my skin. More like shale, than smooth granite. He squeezed my hand a bit tighter before he opened his eyes and stared directly into mine. "Amazing," he breathed. "I have searched for years for one such as yourself. I cannot hear anything from your mind, it it completely closed to me. You are phenomenal, little one."

I was locked in Aro's gaze until Caius called his name from behind him in a warning tone. I realized James was growling beside me and Jasper and Peter had both stepped up behind us. Aro seemed to shake himself before releasing my hand sadly and turning to my mate. "Well, James, it seems I must gather the story from your thoughts, if you don't mind."

James held his hand back for a moment as he spoke, "Before you do, I must tell you something you will see. I had to dispose of a vampire who had been abusing my mate. I believe you will find I was justified, but I brought something so you can decide from his memories as well." He held his hand back toward Laurent, who handed him a simple drawstring bag. I averted my eyes when I saw the bag was moving. Peter caught my eye and I stayed focused on him as the others continued to speak.

"Who have you brought here, James? Who was harming your mate?" Aro asked.

I steeled myself for his answer, hating that I could still be affected by that traitor. "Edward Cullen, sir." You could have heard a pin drop as the room became completely still. My breathing seemed louder and I'm sure the vampires could easily hear my heart pounding as Aro reached his hand out for the bag.

"The mind reader?" I glanced back at James just as he nodded at Aro. He handed the bag off and wrapped me up in his arms, facing his chest. I heard a rustling sound and then silence for a minute or two. When Aro began to growl quietly, I was pulled back slowly toward our group of vampires. I kept my head tucked tightly to James chest until Aro's voice shot out into the room in a chilling tone. "_Burn it._" I heard some shuffling before I smelled the sickly sweet scent I remembered from the clearing, only it was magnified in the closed room.

"Isabella?" Aro called softly, "Come here, child." I glanced up at James who was staring down Aro. He nodded sharply and turned me around in his arms. He kept me locked tight to his body, with one arm across my chest and the other around my waist. Aro approached us slowly and reached out to take my hand again. "My dear, I am so sorry for what has been done to you. Edward was the worst example of a vampire for you to be exposed to. He used his innate vampire abilities as well as his gift to lure you in and use you abysmally. James was right to avenge you, Cullen broke one of our highest laws in his attempt to keep you from your mate."

I was touched by his kind words, and offered him a small smile when I caught sight of Caius and Marcus glaring behind him. I realized James was holding me tighter and Peter and Jasper were both growling lowly. Caius stood up with a sneer on his face. "Aro, want to share what you learned with the rest of us?" I couldn't understand why they were all so mad at him, he was actually being nice to me.

Aro backed away from me slowly after looking at the vampires surrounding me. He glanced back at the other kings before looking to the small blonde girl in the black cloak standing off to the side. She came to his side immediately and he began to speak. "Edward Cullen knew that Isabella was not his mate, but he used his vampire abilities to glamour her, effectively cutting her off from the outside world, and made her his own personal... pet." The growls around me were bordering on roars and I wondered at his choice of words, knowing what the reaction would be. Aro raised his hands and looked at the girl next to him and everyone was quiet again. Whatever her power was, everyone knew and was intimidated by it.

"He snuck into her room each night as she was sleeping and made small cuts in her skin to drink from her. He followed this immediately with hunting an animal to prevent his eyes from giving him away. He was quite adept at avoiding the Seer's visions, and he enjoyed the power his mind-reading gift gave him over those in his coven. It seems as though Carlisle was not leading his coven as he should have been, he catered to the boy's whims entirely too much. This indulgence, combined with his powerful gift, gave him a bit of a god complex. He was beyond reason, and Isabella was quite frankly lucky to escape him when she did." He paused and glanced at Jasper and Alice before he continued. "Isabella is not the first human he used this way. She was just the first one the coven knew about, I assume it was due to the Seer's visions of her. He had a girl in each city and while he killed some himself, for others he allowed Emmett or the Major to take them. He orchestrated these 'slips' all without the Seer catching on. He was a huge risk for exposure and I am glad he has been destroyed. I will have to meet with Carlisle and the rest of the Cullens to be sure they had no knowledge of his activities. Jasper, we will start with you."

The room tensed again and I shrank back against James when Jasper took a menacing step forward toward the king. I had no idea what was going on when he immediately fell to the ground, writhing around. He made no sound but I could see that his face was twisted in agony and he kept his jaws locked tightly together. Everyone froze and I jumped forward without thought to reach him. I kneeled in front of him, laying my hand on his arm and he stilled immediately. He looked at me in shock, then an almost sinister smile appeared on his face. He stood up, pulling me with him, and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "Jane, your gift seems to be shortin' out. Want me to show ya how it's done?" He was talking to the blonde girl who was glaring at the two of us until she suddenly fell on the ground and began screaming in pain.

Aro looked horrified, while the other kings were standing triumphantly behind him; Caius was looking at me with undisguised interest. I still had no idea what was going on until the girl finally fell limp on the ground and Jasper spoke again. "Don't forget who I am, little girl. You don't wanna fuck with me or mine." I stared at Jasper in shock as the pieces came together. He was doing that to her. He was using his gift to harm her, but I still didn't understand what she had done to him first, or why she had stopped.

"Looks like you've met your match, Jane. Never thought I'd see you defeated by a human." Caius sneered. "I think it might be a good idea to put this meeting on hold and let tempers settle a bit. Major, Tracker, you're welcome to visit my chambers as always. I would like the opportunity to speak with Isabella myself, in a more comfortable setting." With that, he turned his back and went through a door to the side I hadn't noticed before. Jasper handed me off to James before leading our group behind the blonde king. I looked back to see Aro still frozen where he stood, and Felix bringing up the rear of our party. I still had no idea what was going on, but I had a feeling that something big had changed, and that the change somehow involved me.


	9. Invitations

_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story line. SM owns the characters, I'm just having fun with them._

**_Chapter 9- Invitations_**

**James POV  
**I was terrified as we left the throne room behind Caius. I had no idea what my mate did to Jane's power, but I knew she was in even more danger now than she was before. Aro still didn't know her connection to the Whitlocks beyond my introduction using their name, but once he touched one of us, he would realize how strongly bound this group was. The eight of us were all interlinked with either blood, venom, or mating bonds. I was planning on asking the Major to change Bella for me, and that would only increase their connection, and mine to them as well. There was no way Aro would see us as anything other than a threat, and I was quickly losing faith in our ability to escape here without a fight. I didn't miss the hunger in his eyes when he looked at my mate, and knew he desperately coveted her for her latent gift. Whatever he saw in Edward's memories only increased his desire for her.

I picked Bella up for the run through the castle hallways and enjoyed the feel of her, safe and warm in my arms. She looked up at me with a question in her eyes but I shook my head and lowered my lips to hers briefly, hoping she would get the message to stay quiet for now. We needed to get to Caius's soundproof office so I could figure out if he was going to be a friend or a foe in this situation. I had no idea what some of his reactions meant so far. He almost looked like he wanted my mate as much as Aro did. If that was the case, he was about to be very disappointed.

A guard I didn't recognize was posted outside of the double doors marked with the elaborate letter C, and we all filed in quickly to the office in the center of the lavish rooms. Felix spoke lowly to the guard before closing the outer doors and positioning himself outside the office doors. Caius shut those behind him before turning to face the group. He had that huge smile on his face again, and I was starting to get really worried; Caius was not one for smiling and I had seen more expression on his face, and Marcus as well, than I had seen in all my years of association with the Volturi. "As soon as Marcus joins us, we'll get started, ok? Isabella, do you need anything? Food, something to drink maybe?"

I instantly felt like a horrible mate for not thinking of her human needs, especially when her slightly hoarse voice spoke up asking for a drink of water. Caius nodded and opened the office door to give her request to Felix, before offering us all seats around the room. I sat in the nearest chair and pulled Bella down in my lap, burying my face in my new security blanket, her luscious brown hair. No one spoke until Felix returned with Marcus and a glass of water for my mate. She smiled and thanked him, before drinking half the glass at once. She blushed deeply and tucked her head into my neck when she realized all eyes were focused on her.

Marcus and Caius stood together behind the desk, looking over the rest of our group like they just won the lottery. Marcus was running his eyes between different members of our group and I knew he was reading our bonds and analyzing our connections. Caius affirmed that theory when he asked him what he saw. "This coven is more tightly bound than any other I have ever seen before. Each and every one is connected to another by either blood, venom, or mating bonds. We already know that Laurent is both James' sire and Victoria's mate. Jasper is Peter's brother and the sire both to him and Charlotte, Peter's mate. Alice is Jasper's mate of course, and Isabella is James'. But what ties them all together is the familial connection between Isabella and the Whitlocks. Peter, I am going to assume she is the descendent of your sister? I see one other living connection between the three of you, would that be Isabella's parent?"

The Captain spoke up quite respectfully, I didn't realize he could be that polite. "Yes sir, Bella is our niece. Her father Charlie is still livin', but is past the age to be turned. Bella is the last member of the Whitlock line." Marcus responded with a satisfied nod before looking to Caius.

"And little Bella, as you call her, is quite talented as well. A shield no doubt, obviously mental, but she could develop a physical shield as well after she is turned. She will be phenomenally powerful since she can already shield others without even trying. I have never seen someone block Jane's gift, much less a human. And to shield the Major as well? That is amazing." I knew it. He wants her and he's going to try to take her from me. The Major must have been thinking the same thing I was judging by his scowl and the sounds coming from the both of us.

"Oh, please, will you just give us time to tell you about our proposal before you start growling at us. We are still your kings, you know." Caius turned his evil face on, and despite our friendship it did still scare me a bit. He waited for all of us to look at him again before he continued. "We are in this office where we can speak freely without the risk of eavesdroppers reporting back to Aro. Rest assured that nothing said here will be used against you by him or his minions." Well, that's interesting. What would he have to say that Aro wouldn't find out?

"Now, I know several of you already know a bit about myself and Marcus, and you can probably figure out how we feel about how Aro has been running things for the past century or so. We've never been a fan of dictators and we have been biding our time until we could do something about it. Your coven has provided us with the perfect solution." Is he serious? I knew exactly where he was going with this but what would he do if they overthrew Aro? I glanced at the Major and his eyes were wide, apparently reaching the same conclusion I was.

The room was full of vampires, many of whom were gifted, and it took my little human mate to speak up. "Um, I may be really out of line here, but can somebody tell me what on earth you're talking about? I'm a little lost."

Caius laughed suddenly, startling us all, and came around the desk to kneel before Bella. I'm fairly sure I almost fainted, and I don't think that's something vampires can do. She sat up a bit straighter when he reached for her hand and spoke only to her. "Isabella my dear, I apologize. Let me introduce myself, and see how familiar you are with history. My human name was Gaius Cassius, and that nice man over there is Marcus Brutus."

I glanced down at my mate to see her brow furrowed as she studied Caius. I could almost see the light go on when she realized what he meant. "Are you fucking kidding me? As in 'Et tu, Brute?' You've got to be shitting me. No WAY! That means you're over 2,000 years old! Who changed you? How did you get out of Rome? This is so fucking awesome!" Ok, I guess my mate has a dirty mouth when she's in shock. Wonder if she'll have a dirty mouth in bed... Maybe this isn't the best time to be thinking that. The Major shot me a look and some calm. Thanks.

Marcus was laughing now as well. "Actually, he never said that. Shakespeare was a bit too romantic and didn't want to write, 'Caesar screamed like a little girl' so he gave him some meaningful last words. As for who changed us, that honor falls to Aro. He had dreams of taking over the vampire world and decided that he, Caius, and I would make a good Triumvirate. For all that he had access to our memories, he never really learned anything from them." Yeah, I never did understand that part. I read all about the assassination of Julius Caesar and I thought Aro had to be a little nuts to pick the ringleaders for his fellow rulers. That's just setting yourself up for trouble.

"Ok, so, what? You wanna kill off Aro and take over the rule for yourselves? Or do you expect us to step up and do it for you? I gotta say neither of those ideas sounds that good to me. I just wanna live with my family. That's it." The Major was standing up now, looking pretty imposing with his arms crossed and his face fixed in a glare at the two kings. Once again, I was grateful I was on his side, and I sincerely hoped I had no reason to oppose him in the future. My mate's family was fucking scary.

Caius jumped up and held his hands in front of him. "No, no, no! Major, you misunderstand our intentions! We don't want to harm Aro, he's actually not that bad of a ruler. The problem is he currently holds too much power. We have been speaking to him for some time about changing the way we rule. We want to set up a Senate, much like we had in Rome, and spread the power more evenly across the globe. We are too vulnerable with our central government concentrated here in Volterra, and we have been working to set up satellite branches on all the major continents.

"The only reason Aro agreed to our plans was the fact that there were no strong covens in North America. The Cullens and Denalis are not widely respected because of their odd diet, the Southern Warlords are all gone, and the rest of the population is made up mostly of nomads. Aro didn't think we had a chance in hell of getting a group of vampires together who would be capable of ruling over there. We couldn't just send Volturi guards over there, that would be a surefire way of getting the patriot nomads like your uncle, James, to band together against us.

"The Romanians agree with us, and have their own loyal followers to cover Asia. Amun has his coven of four to rule over Africa, since he is well-respected in that area. We will continue to cover Europe, and Siobhan's coven has agreed to take over England and Ireland. They have never cared for us much over there. Zafrina and her sisters are already ruling South America; we haven't had to interfere over there for several centuries. That just leaves you. If the eight of you would agree to be the ruling body on your continent, we can put our plan into place and cut Aro's power back to a more reasonable level. So, what do you think?"

I glanced around and saw everyone else frozen in shock. "What makes you think we would be capable of doing what you ask? Or that we would even want to?" I dared to question.

"James, you are probably one of the most respected vampires in your home country. You have many friends within these castle walls as well. Your reputation for honesty, efficiency, and respect is widely-known all over the world. I know you have turned us down in the past because you did not wish to be bound here in Italy. We respect that, and hope you will see this as an opportunity to further distance yourself and your coven from Aro's rule. I know you feel as I do that Jasper and Peter have been kept apart unfairly and with this they would have the chance to reunite and connect with your mate as well." Marcus chimed in.

"And the Major is the most feared vampire in America, if not the whole world. Once word gets out that he resisted and took down Jane today, his reputation will spread even further. You would not have to worry about revolt or opposition from someone thinking you are too weak to rule. You are each strong fighters, and there is no animosity among you. That is unheard of for a group of vampires this large. If the Volturi did not have Chelsea to bind us, there would be constant quarrels among the guards every day. Once we set up the separate governments, we will send most of our guards out to their home countries and they will be at the disposal of their respective leaders. Felix would return home with you, if you are agreeable."

Bella and the Major were the only ones who actually seemed to be considering what Caius said. They were looking at one another, appearing to communicate without speaking. Bella turned to look at me as the Major looked at his brother. "You gettin' any feelin's about this Peter? Ali, did you see this comin'?"

Alice spoke first. "I didn't see them asking us until Bella shielded you from Jane. I assume that is what tipped the scales in our direction. I can't see the outcome because we are all undecided at the moment. All I still see for sure is the future vision of Bella as a vampire, but the rest of us are all together with her as well."

The Captain chimed in next, "I don't know if you wanna hear it or not, but I'm feelin' like this is a good idea. I don't think we can leave here under Aro's rule. He wants our Bella too much. He's still scared shitless of you, but he's more confident here in the castle with his guard around him. We need the kings on our side." I had a feeling that his feeling was right. I had to think about whether this was the best course of action for the safety of my mate. She was the most vulnerable right now and she was my main priority. Of course, four other vampires were her relatives and the other two were my own coven mates. Like it or not, we were all in this together.

I was startled out of my thoughts when Bella began to cry. Her shoulders were shaking and her face was getting my shirt wet where she was tucked against my chest. I asked her what was wrong and she finally lifted her head enough to look at me. "This is all my fault! Everyone has to change their lives for me. If I wasn't some kind of freak, nobody would care what we did or where we lived. I hate this!" Oh, hell no. No way is my mate to blame for all this. She needs to get that through her head right now.

"Sweetheart, Bella, listen to me. This is NOT your fault. If anyone is to blame for all this, it's me. If I was just a regular nomad I could have taken you home, changed you, and the Volturi would have no idea who you are. So if you feel the need to blame someone, blame me. Because I can tell you, you are the only person in this room who blames you. We all care about you very much and would do anything to protect you, understand?" I pulled back from her and raised her chin to look at her face. She tried to avoid my eyes but finally gave in and nodded.

The Major knelt down in front of her and laid his hand on her head. "Bella, you're both wrong. Your gift came through your blood, mine and Peter's blood, and we're the ones Aro is scared of. So how about we just all drop this blamin' each other shit and get to decidin' what we're gonna do, ok?" He raised his head and looked at me. "I gotta tell ya, Tracker, I'm leanin' toward whatever I gotta do to keep my family together. But you're still the leader of this coven and I'll do what you think is best."

Is he serious? He's _the_ Major! How on earth can he follow someone like me? He smirked when he felt my incredulity and Bella raised her head to look at me expectantly. Caius drew my attention back to him when he finally spoke. "He's telling the truth, James. You are the one we trust, the one with a record above reproach. You are the only one who can be the American face of the Volturi with Aro's approval. I know you have never seen yourself as a leader but you are one none the less. The fact that you do not actively seek or expect power is what makes you a great one. I mean, your own sire follows you! Do you not understand how rare that truly is in our world?" I glanced at Laurent and he just smiled and nodded; we've had this discussion before, not long after I took the job with the Volturi. Once my newborn year was over, he never once felt the need to exert his authority over me.

"We are not asking you to rule as king, we only ask for you to lead your group in handling the problems that arise with vampires in your part of the world. Act as a mediator, appoint judges and handle punishments. We don't want you to change who you are, you already possess the qualities you need to lead, and lead well. You have the support you need from your coven surrounding you, and your mate by your side. What you have to ask yourself is, what are you willing to do to keep safe those most dear to you?" Marcus offered his opinion but it didn't come across as a threat by tone of his voice and his tender look between myself and my mate. Now that I have found Bella, I can't imagine the pain Marcus felt at the loss of his mate. I knew then that I had to do whatever it took to keep her safe.

"I honestly don't know what to do here. This is so unexpected. I only came here to ask permission to change my mate, and for the Major to assist me in her newborn year. Now I have a huge coven and I'm being told the only way out of Volterra is either a fight or a government takeover? I'm a simple man, I like my job, and I don't need much to keep me happy. I just want to take Bella home and start our life together. I really didn't think that was too much to ask for." I know I sounded petulant by the end but I really didn't think this was fair. Caius was supposed to be my friend, and he's been plotting with Marcus to set me up for a job I most certainly did not want. Not only that, I have little choice but to take it, or risk losing my mate in a fight on unfamiliar territory. Talk about the proverbial rock and a hard place.

Warm hands on my face drew my attention back to the center of my world. Bella looked at me seriously and leaned up to place a soft kiss on my lips. "James, I want you to know that I trust you, completely. Whatever you decide, I am with you all the way. Behind you or beside you, wherever you need me I will be there." I stared into her chocolate brown eyes for a long moment while I weighed the decision in my mind. We could probably fight our way out of here, but I was not sure if Caius and Marcus would let their guards assist us or not. I also knew Bella was very much at risk in that scenario. If we took the kings up on their offer, we would be escorted safely from the castle and Aro would have to abide their wishes if he wanted to live.

I looked around at the vampires in the room, making eye contact with each one before I spoke. "Ok, I know this isn't exactly what we expected when we walked in here today. I'm sorry we have been pulled into something like this but personally, I think we need to take the kings' offer. With that said, I'd like a vote. Let me know what you want and we'll go with the majority." As soon as I finished speaking the entire group lit up with huge smiles and Cauis even laughed. The Major felt my confusion and decided to speak up.

"That's why they picked you, Tracker. If it was me, I would've said this is what we're doin' and too bad if ya don't like it. But you are open to the ideas of others. I'm glad to follow you and I'll help ya with this rulin' shit if you'll let me tear up some bad guys every now and then." Everyone else laughed at his words, but they were all nodding that they agreed with him.

Marcus clapped his hands and smiled rather sinisterly. "Wonderful! So, we'll let Aro know that we have found our American ruling coven and the preparations can begin for the distribution of power. We will provide you with access to the Volturi compound in Colorado that we use for our base of operations in the Americas. It it isolated enough to serve you well, and I would suggest you change young Bella as soon as you reach your destination. She will need fight training and she needs to learn to control her shield as soon as possible. You will now accompany us to the throne room where we will formally pardon Jasper and Peter for their part in the Southern Wars and publicly announce your coven's new role in the world."

I held Bella tighter to me as we stood to leave the office, when the Captain suddenly burst out laughing. "So tell me, is Shakespeare around here somewhere waitin' to write a play about the fall of Aro Volturi?"

* * *

_**AN: Still with me? ;) The idea of the satellite vampire governors is loosely based on The Warlord by amaris12345. It's a Jasper/Bella story that is very good, check it out if you haven't read it yet.  
As for the Roman references, Caius is another form of Gaius, a very common ancient Roman name. I wanted to make the kings historical figures and these were a good fit, considering the fact that Volterra is in Italy. And I can see Aro being that stupid/egotistical as well. **_


	10. Impatience

**_AN: This chapter is a bit short, but I had to stop it where I did. May take me a couple weeks for the next chapter, this is as far as I have written.  
On another note, I finally got around to watching the extra dvd's that came with my BD2 movie. They were awesome! Two things- 1) I am in love with Garrett/Lee Pace/whoever the heck he is. That man is a natural vampire. 2) In the interview bit on the Volturi there is a part where Cauis is laughing and making fun of Marcus- THAT is my Caius in this story. That's the guy who is friends with James and has more on his mind than just destroying vampires. So if you haven't seen it, go find it and watch it._**

_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story line. SM owns the characters, I'm just having fun with them._

**_Chapter 10- Impatience_**

**Bella POV  
**As we left Caius's office I was bursting with pride for my mate. I'm sure if Jasper wasn't so distracted he would have said something to tone me down a bit. This day just kept getting more bizarre. I met two vampires who orchestrated the demise of Julius Caesar, and had those same vampires offer my mate a job ruling over the vampires of North America. I am kind of curious now that Peter asked though, is Shakespeare a vampire? It wouldn't surprise me if he was out writing vampire romance novels or something now.

We were walking at human pace through the maze of hallways so James wasn't carrying me this time. I guess they weren't in a big hurry to get back to the throne room. I wondered how Aro was going to react to the news he was basically being de-throned. I doubted it was going to be a good reaction, I just hoped he wouldn't hold our coven personally responsible for his loss of power. I guess worrying won't do any good, we'll just have to wait and see how things go.

I shook off my fanciful thoughts and tuned into the conversation between James and Jasper. "I had no idea Laurent was your sire! Why wasn't he with you when we saw you the first time?" Jasper asked.

"I only stayed with him for a few years after I was turned. We wanted to travel in different directions so we parted ways. He found me again not long after I found you; he was looking for his mate," James said with a wink at Victoria. "Laurent picked up her scent and tried following her for months but her gift of evasion kept her out of his reach. She was much younger and didn't realize that her mate was the one following her, she was just trying to avoid conflict. Laurent knew of my gift, of course, and sought me out to help bring her to him. It still took a bit of work but we finally talked her down and they have been together ever since. They travel alone every few years but come back to help me with my tougher Volturi jobs as well. We were about to part ways when I ran across Bella's scent, and I asked them to come with me to find her in case I needed help when I found her scent mixed with multiple vampires and a werewolf."

I was surprised at this. I guess they weren't a true coven like the Cullens if they weren't together all the time. I turned to Laurent, hoping I wasn't speaking out of turn. "So will you stay with us when we get back, or will you go your own way?" James and Jasper stopped walking and looked at me with identical looks of surprise and pride so I guess it was ok to ask that.

Victoria and Laurent exchanged a glance before he answered. "We actually aren't sure yet. We'll see how things look when we leave here. We may take some time off so we don't overwhelm you during your newborn year, Bella. It can be a confusing time and having to adjust to a large group of vampires can make it more difficult. But if we are needed we will stick around. However, we really have no interest in ruling vampires. We are both nomads at heart." I thought James would be disappointed by their answer but he shrugged and said it was what he expected. I guess most vampires aren't cut out for life in a large coven.

James turned to Felix next. "So, you're coming back to the States with us? I'm not gonna have trouble out of you and the Major am I?" he asked in a mock stern voice. Feeling my confusion, Jasper explained.

"Felix was turned durin' the Southern Wars as well. He was an officer in a rival army and we met on the battle field several times. He was a damn good fighter- even gave me some of these bites I'm sportin'. But we're good now, he knows not to challenge me. It'll be good to have a decent sparrin' partner to train with though." When Peter growled, Jasper smirked and added, "Aside from my dear brother of course."

It seemed like every time we tried to talk to Felix we were interrupted. This time was no exception. A small boy who looked just like Jane came up to our group. "The Masters are awaiting your presence in the throne room."

James answered for our group as he reached to scoop me into his arms, "Thank you Alec, we will be right there." I was curious again and Jasper answered me.

"He's Jane's twin. When they were human, they were about to be burned as witches and Aro saved them. They were fourteen when he changed 'em, way too young. Anyway, his power is kinda the opposite of hers. He takes away your senses; you can't see or hear or feel anythin'. For a vampire, that can be worse than the pain. You lose all sense of time and start to go insane pretty quick." he broke off with a grimace and I sensed there was a story there. He looked at me and sighed. "They kept me under his power from the time they captured me until they placed me with the Cullens. It was about a month but it felt like an eternity."

Oh my god, that's horrible! These are the people we are going to be working for? I couldn't even say anything because there were too many ears around, but he picked up on my emotions and leaned over to hug me. "I'm ok now, darlin'. And it's gonna stay that way." I understood what he meant- we were going to stop things like that from happening to other vampires. We would be just and fair in our corner of the world. But one of these days I was going to get vengeance for my family. Those witch twins would have to die.

If Jasper picked up on my changing emotions, he chose not to say anything. We continued to run until we were in the waiting room with a different human receptionist this time. I wondered if they already ate the last one or if they worked in shifts. I really hoped it was the latter. I still can't imagine choosing to work here as a human, knowing you might get to be turned or you might be an appetizer for a hungry guard. I knew I sounded like a hypocrite, but for me it was different from when I was with the Cullens. I wasn't sure what the exact difference was, but I think Alice and Jasper had a lot to do with it.

I wasn't guarded as closely this time when the doors opened to let us into the room. I could see the kings sitting on their thrones, and they looked quite different. Marcus and Caius were smiling broadly, relaxed back in their seats. Aro looked fiercely angry and I froze a bit when I realized his anger was directed at my mate. I squeezed tighter to him and felt him purr softly but I was ready to get out of here and back home where we would be safe.

The room was silent as Aro stood in front of his throne. He glanced back at the other kings who just smirked and nodded toward our group. Aro tensed even more before turning back to face the room. "We are here today to pardon Jasper and Peter Whitlock-"

He was interrupted by Caius who coughed and said, "Major and Captain Whitlock."

Sighing, Aro continued, "-Major and Captain Whitlock from their crimes committed during the Southern Vampire Wars. They are released from punishment based on time served and hereby appointed to the American Council of the Volturi under Tracker James Williams. The North American Coven is granted permission to change Isabella Whitlock at the discretion of her mate anytime after they reach their destination. The Coven is still expected to be prepared to take over rule of their continent within one year.

"Jane, Alec, Felix, and Demetri will also return to the Americas to retrieve the remaining members of the Cullen Coven to stand trial for their part in the mistreatment of a known vampire mate, Miss Isabella Whitlock. Major Whitlock and his mate are excused from this trial based on the merit of their actions and their new position with the North American ruling coven. Due to their previous relationship to the new ruling coven, the Cullen trial will be handled here in Volterra to avoid a possible conflict of interest.

"If there are no further issues, the North American Coven is dismissed. I believe your aircraft has been readied for you and the information for access to your new compound is on board waiting for you. Thank you for your service and good luck in the future. Isabella, I look forward to seeing you after you join the ranks of immortality. I know you will be quite special." He looked at me sadly as he said this, and I knew he was wishing I would be changed here as part of his guard. I was quite happy to be across the ocean from him, although I would miss Caius and Marcus, they were quite the pair.

Our group let out a collective sigh of relief when Aro turned to walk back to his throne. James stepped forward and offered a slight bow to the kings. "Thank you for your offer and we look forward to working with you all in the future. We hope to ease your burden, and that we don't disappoint you with our service." The only answer he received was a slight nod from Aro, so he turned to lead our group out of the throne room. I was surrounded once again by my vampires but I still caught Jane's eye as we walked out the door. She glared at me sharply and I couldn't resist tossing a wink her direction. Aro's voice rang out in chastisement when she answered with a low growl.

**Jasper POV  
**I can't believe it. For the first time in over fifty years, I'm free. Really and truly free, not hiding from anyone or on the run. I'm back with my brother and we have our niece with us, along with our mates, and there's really nothing more I could ask for. The feeling of freedom is completely new to me and it takes my mind a while to adjust to the foreign concept. If I close my eyes I can almost smell the fresh hot air of Texas before the wars, the humidity untainted with the stench of death and destruction. I can pretend I'm still a young human soldier, returning home to my mama with my sister and baby brother happy and waiting for me.

A soft voice draws me out of my musing; it has the right tone but it lacks the slow drawl that Abbie used. Opening my eyes, I'm met with curious brown ones so achingly familiar that I can't help but draw her in for a hug. Pete _knows_ what I need and comes up on my other side, pulling us all together. It doesn't matter that we're standing in the middle of the Volturi waiting room on the other side of the world, it doesn't matter that two of us don't have heartbeats and the third will be silenced within days, it doesn't matter that I haven't been human in almost 150 years- at this moment, right now, I'm home.

With Bella's small hand rubbing circles on my back while Peter's strong arm holds me up, I finally look over to the rest of the vampires in our coven. James is nervous, keeping his sharp eyes on the Volturi guards that pass by. Alice and Charlotte are standing with their arms around each other, venom tears in their eyes. I realize my own eyes are wet and that I have been crying for the past few minutes, no wonder we're getting strange looks from the cloaked vampires. I want to tell Bella how I feel, but there are too many ears around. Instead, I focus on sending her the intense familial love that Peter and I share for her. She smiles up at me and pulls us both closer for a minute before pulling back to face the rest of the group.

Her eyes cut over to her mate, our coven leader, reminding me that while I'm free, I still willingly answer to a higher authority. It doesn't bother me the way it had with Maria or the Volturi though, as I know he is a fair man and one who will value my opinion. Right on cue, he looks at me and asks, "Ready to go, Major?"

I couldn't hold my laugh in, startling another round of somber Volturi guards. "Yeah, let's make a run for it before they change their minds!"


	11. First Sight

_**AN: Big thank you to lannaislusciousredd for asking how I picture James. I see him like the guy from the movie, but what inspired the James from my story is Malcolm Freburg from the current and last season of Survivor. I watched the first few episodes of his first season trying to figure out who he reminded me of (James from the movie) and when it hit me I had an even bigger crush on him. Anyway, I added a link to my bio or you can google him if you don't know him and picture him with lighter hair and there ya go. The face, body, smile, personality, everything. That's my James. Except my James is a little bit shorter, like 5'8"- 5'9" at most. I also added a link for Peter (in all my stories)- he's Casey James. Yum :)**_

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___Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story line. SM owns the characters, I'm just having fun with them_

_**Chapter 11- First Sight**_

**James POV  
**Our new home in Colorado was overwhelming to say the least. Situated in the center of almost 1000 acres of untouched mountainside, it was completely inaccessible by anything other than vampires. The buildings themselves were spread out among small clearings, but hidden beneath ancient trees so that they weren't visible from the air. Even with modern technology, we would be completely hidden from the humans.

I was relieved when we arrived to find that there were separate houses for each mated couple, along with a larger mansion that housed a formal "throne room" (we had all scoffed that one- we wouldn't be using thrones here), as well as multiple guest rooms for traveling vampires. Bella was horrified to find the dungeon in the basement, complete with Caius's handcrafted torture devices. She had to go throw up again when the Captain felt the need to explain to her how each one was made of vampire ash, titanium, and werewolf teeth and claws. I swear his "knowin' shit" sure is selectively useful. He never seems to know when it would be best to NOT say something.

Shaking off the memory, I looked down at my mate sleeping peacefully in my arms. Last night was completely amazing. On the plane ride back to the States, I had told Bella about my doubts as to my ability to change her. I had never changed anyone before and I was scared to death to start with her. She agreed with me that the Major would be her next choice, and he had venom tears in his eyes when he agreed. We wanted him to bite her as soon as we reached our new home, but she had one request she was adamant about- she wanted to lose her virginity while she was still human.

That was one request I was more than happy to oblige, and one I knew I was able to do safely. I had been with humans before; there are only so many vampires around and most of the ones I run across are already mated. She didn't question my ability to control my strength or refrain from biting her, but I saw the questions in her eyes. I don't think it would bother her too much, she has to know I haven't been sitting around celibate for the past two centuries. What kind of man would I be if I had?

I guess I wore her out because she fell asleep on my chest as soon as we finished. I heard the Major approaching the house and knew our time was over. She didn't want to worry about when he would bite her, so he agreed to wait until she was asleep and then use his power to keep her under until her change was started. I made sure she was covered and called softly for him to enter.

The door opened and closed silently and he was suddenly in the room. "You sure you're ready, Tracker?" I nodded before I could lose my nerve, but he smiled and shook his head- he knew what I was feeling. "You don't wanna try to bite her?"

This I was sure of. "No, Major. My venom won't make her more special, but yours could. I want her to have the best start to this life and every advantage possible. You're her uncle, her brother, now become her sire." He held my eye for a long moment before approaching the bed slowly.

"I'm not sure how long my power will keep her under, but I'll do my best." I nodded and tamped down on my instincts as he leaned over her to bite. He was quick and efficient, hitting her neck, wrists, and ankles all before she started moving in pain. He finished with a gentle kiss on her forehead and whispered, "I'm sorry, sweet girl. It will all be worth it in a few days, though. I love ya, darlin'." With a soft breeze, he was gone and we were once again alone in the room.

I left Bella on the bed long enough to run a cool bath, before I carried her to the tub and sat down with her in my arms. I carefully washed her from head to toe, taking care not to hurt her more than I had to. She wasn't making a sound, but her face was twisted in pain and she couldn't hold her body still as she tried to escape the invisible flames engulfing her.

When we returned to the room, the sheets were changed and there was a soft gown laid out for Bella to wear, courtesy of Alice. I dressed us both carefully before laying down and taking her in my arms, where we would stay for the next three days. "Bella, sweetheart, I'm here. I'm not going to leave you and if you need to scream out, please don't feel like you have to hold it all in. I love you. I know I didn't tell you that before, but I do. I love you more than my own life and I wish I could take this pain from you, but the only thing I can do it walk you through it. I will be here when you wake up and I will love you every day of forever.

"I want you to think about your life now, your mother, Renee, and your father, Charlie. You need to focus on their faces and the best memories you have with them. Think of your childhood, remember seeing your vampire uncle and calling him an angel. He's a funny one to call an angel but I'm so glad he saved you. Think of Alice and the Major watching out for you and loving you while you were still human.

"Remember how we met. I found you there in that crazy little town full of vampires and werewolves. My beautiful human mate was the best and brightest of them all. You changed my life the first time I saw you and I am so grateful to have you as my mate. The kings of the vampire world were willing to fight for you- that's how special you are, so don't forget it.

"You are surrounded by a family that loves you so much, and I am so grateful that we don't have to face this new challenge alone." I stopped to listen and make sure we were alone before I continued. "Sweetheart, I need to tell you something. I am so scared about this job. I've never been one to rule over others. I'm a tracker- a bounty hunter- just like Demetri said. It's all I've ever known and honestly, it's all I'm good at. I'm so scared I'm going to let Caius and Marcus down, but I'm more scared that I'm going to be a disappointment to you. You are so strong and so beautiful, and I can tell you are tough, just like the Whitlocks. I want to be tough like you, and I really hope you can show me how."

I hope she can hear me, I think this is the most I have told her since we met. We've always had people around us and we were a little busy earlier when we were finally alone to get much talking done. Once she gets her bloodlust under control I am going to take her away somewhere, just the two of us. I know we have to get the word out to the vampires around that we are now the ruling coven, so maybe we can take a trip to search out nomads to spread the word.

I need to call my uncle Garrett, I'm not sure how he'll react to the news. He hates the Volturi and wasn't happy that I was doing contract work for them, but maybe now that they aren't ruling us from Italy, he will be more open to working with us here. He would be a great asset in bringing the covens and nomads together peacefully. I don't expect much opposition, simply because there aren't many vampires stupid enough to go up against the Major and the Captain. Add in the vampires I'm on good terms with and the continent is pretty well covered.

Shifting Bella so she was laying beside me, still curled around my body, I reached for my phone. Garrett answered on the second ring, sarcastic as usual.

_Well, if it isn't my little bounty hunting nephew? To what do I owe this honor?_

"Hey Garrett. I need to talk to you. There have been some big changes in the past few days and it kind of affects all the vampires in the world."

_Did someone finally take out the Volturi? Is there a revolution? Where do I sign up?_

Seriously? The man needs to give it up already. The redcoats aren't coming anymore. Now the black cloaks aren't either. "No, Garrett. No revolution. More like a transfer of power. You're talking to the new leader of the North American ruling coven."

_What?! You've gotta be shittin' me, James! Who the hell decided that? I sure didn't vote for you!_

"Yeah, thanks for the confidence, Gar. Believe me, I didn't vote for me either. I was pretty much forced into it. Aro took a liking to my mate and-"

_WHAT?! You mate?! When did this happen? Damn, you don't tell me anything, do you boy?_

"Uh, well, it kind of just happened. I found my mate, and she was still human, and she kind of has some powerful connections in the vampire world-"

_More powerful than your connections? Is she part of the Volturi or something?_

"Would you stop interrupting me, please? Anyway, no she was not part of the Volturi. She is actually the last blood relative of Major and Captain Whitlock, from the Southern Wars."

_WHAT?! James-_

"Damn it, Garrett! I said don't interrupt me! They were watching out for her until I found her and she really didn't want to leave the Major or his mate. So I took everyone to Italy and it turns out my mate is a shield, already a powerful one even as a human, and therefore someone Aro wants, badly. Get this, she blocked Aro's power, and she even blocked Jane when she was using her power on the Major. I'm sure you can guess how Aro reacted."

_Yeah, I bet he was shocked- I've never heard of anyone resisting Jane. _

"Well, the Major turned right back around and turned his power loose on her so once word gets around, he'll be even more feared. Anyway, so Marcus and Caius said they have been working to loosen Aro's power and spread the governing responsibilities to covens around the world. They had rulers picked for every continent except ours. Said there wasn't a coven strong enough to rule America, aside from the animal drinkers, and you know how everyone feels about them."

He suddenly sounded hesitant, making me very suspicious. _Uh, they aren't that bad. You know I've always respected Carlisle, and the Denalis are pretty nice actually. _

"When did you meet the Denalis? I thought you hated Alaska?" I tried several times to get him to visit the succubi with me, but he would never get further than southern Canada before he turned back for the States.

_Well, I was in Vegas with Mary and Randall and we ran into the Denali sisters at a casino. I, um, might have foundmymateinKateDenali._

"What was that? I have vampire hearing but you were mumbling quite quickly there, Gar."

He sighed and repeated himself, more slowly this time. _I said, I might have found my mate- Kate Denali._

I couldn't stop the laugh from bubbling up. "Let me get this straight. Your mate is a succubus? A succubus I have been trying to get you to meet for at least a hundred years now? Oh, that's rich!"

_Yeah, yeah. I knew you were gonna rub it in. So, when do I get to meet your mate? Are you changing her soon?_

"Um, actually, she's changing right now. I-"

_WHAT? You left your mate alone while she's changing? What's the matter with you, boy? She's vulnerable right now! Your protective instincts should be-"_

"GARRETT! Stop! I didn't leave her alone! I'm holding her right now! And if you interrupt me again I'm gonna come find you and kick your ass! I've got access to a pretty nifty dungeon that needs to be tested. Or I'll just get Kate to shock you, I know she'll do it for me."

_Ok, ok. Sorry, kid. But why haven't I heard anything? Is she ok? Shouldn't she be screaming now?_

"Yeah, she's good. She's a tough little girl, she's definitely a Whitlock. Hasn't made a sound yet." I leaned over to kiss her forehead and smooth her hair back. My touch seemed to ease her tension slightly and she stopped moving around as much. "Anyway, look, Garrett. I just called to tell you about the changes in the government and find out if I'm gonna have any trouble out of you. Oh, and you might want to steer clear of the Cullens for a while- Aro sent his guards to pick them up for questioning on the mistreatment of my mate.

_Holy shit! Are you telling me your mate is the human that Edward was pining over? He ran up to Denali for a week after he met her, said she was his singer and he wasn't going to let a human have that much control over him._

I couldn't stop the growl that came out when I heard that bastard's name. "He knew she was my mate and he still glamoured her and drank from her. I destroyed him. End of story. So, are we good, or not?" I had never spoken to my uncle this harshly, but I wasn't sure of his allegiances now that he has mated with an animal drinker. Kate was pretty level-headed though, and had a good offensive gift that would be helpful in an ally if we had need of her. I wondered briefly if Bella would be able to block her gift as well.

Garrett sounded serious when he answered. _I'm with you, James. I'll make sure my mate's coven supports you as well. Let me know if you need me to do anything and I'll spread the word around too. I'd like to meet your mate when you think she's up for it. I know how newborns can be though, so I'll be patient._

We finished talking and I turned my attention back to my mate. It had only been a few hours but I could already see the subtle changes in her body. She was beautiful before, but she was going to be completely stunning after her change. She would outshine me by a mile. "I love you, sweet Bella. I can't wait to introduce you to this life and watch you flourish."

The next few days passed mostly in peaceful silence, at least on my part. I know Bella wasn't at peace, but she seemed comforted by my presence and the sound of my voice. I heard the rest of our coven approaching as her heart sped up on the the third day, but only the Major came into the room with us. Whether she remembered him or not, she would recognize her sire, and she would recognize her mate. We had the best chances of calming her if she woke in a rage, or so they told me anyway. Alice said we had nothing to worry about, that she would surprise us all with her control, but it was really hard not to be nervous in a situation like this.

My breathing, which had sped up to match Bella's, stopped suddenly as her heart gave one last beat. She didn't move at first and I had a brief moment of panic, that passed quickly as her eyelids fluttered open. She looked at the ceiling for a moment before she took a deep breath and instantly landed on the bed in a crouch.

Her bright ruby eyes scanned the room, looking for threats, before locking with mine. Her face lit up in a blinding smile and I found myself sinking to my knees as I fell in love with her all over again.

"James," she breathed softly, just before she launched herself into my waiting arms.

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**_AN: Credit to Crimson Starlight by wonderwoundedhearers for Caius's weapons, at least that's where I read about them. Best Bella/Caius story I have ever read, btw._**


	12. Blood Type

___Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story line. SM owns the characters, I'm just having fun with them_

_**Chapter 12- Blood Type**_

**Bella POV  
**I thought I knew what to expect when I became a vampire, but no amount of second-hand information could have prepared me for this. It was like the past seventeen years of my life had been lived in a dense fog. Everything was startlingly clear now. I could see every tiny detail, and it was quite easy to get distracted by the dust motes, or tiny water droplets in the air, or all the various colors that were in James' beautiful blonde hair.

James. My perfect mate. He was with me through my change and his presence gave me such peace, even through the indescribable pain. Seeing his face when I opened my new eyes was something I will never forget. He was looking at me with complete awe and devotion, and his name was the first word I spoke. I had been thinking for the past three days of what I wanted to say to him, so as he held me firmly in his arms I looked him straight in the eye. "I love you too, James."

His face lit up with a blinding smile, and he crushed his mouth to me fiercely, much harder than he could do while I was still human. We were a mass of tongue and teeth and I'm pretty sure I was growling, and then suddenly there was nothing. No passion, no lust, just a calm love that slowed our movements, almost like-

"Damn it Jasper! What the hell?" I turned to see my brother, now my sire, standing behind us with a smile on his face. He gave a goofy little wave before dodging my immediate attack and wrapping me in a hold I couldn't break out of. Guess he's been there for a few newborn awakenings and it's hard to get one past him... He laughed when I huffed my defeat.

I could hear Peter and Charlotte laughing in the hallway as well, "Don't worry Sugar, he did the same thing to me when Char woke up. Like a damn bucket of cold water."

"Sorry, darlin', just had to check your instincts and see what we're dealin' with. You ain't too pissy yet, that's good. Your mate on the other hand..." Jasper turned us so I could see James, black eyes blazing, about to take on the God of War.

"Major, that's my mate." he spoke in a deadly calm voice, nothing close to the easygoing man I know. I felt a shiver of desire and Jasper shook his head as he glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. They looked at each other for a minute or so, and I'm sure Jasper was tasting his emotions to see how serious he was, as he finally nodded and slowly released me, stepping back a bit.

James had me in his arms, looking me over from head to toe before I could even think about moving his direction. Satisfied that I was unharmed, he stood straight and pushed me behind him as he faced off with Jasper. "Major, she's not a soldier. I will not have her treated as one. Are we clear?"

Jasper narrowed his eyes slightly, and I had a feeling he was sending James some fear, but my mate didn't move an inch. Then Jasper's face relaxed in a smile and his chin dipped slightly in a sign of respect. "No problem, Tracker. But just keep in mind that I _am_ her sire and I will do everythin' I can to make sure she stays safe, and learns all she needs to survive in this world. And if I get any hint that her actions are a threat to her safety or the safety of this coven, I will do _everythin'_ in my power to stop her. Is _that_ clear?" James gave one curt nod, and Jasper continued. "Now, it's good to see our leader is finally steppin' up to his job. Glad to have ya with us, James."

As they shook hands and relaxed I'd finally had enough. "Um, guys. This is a nice Hallmark moment and all, but I'm kinda thirsty here. Newborn, remember?"

I heard Peter's booming laugh from the hallway and Charlotte and Alice's giggles as well. James and Jasper were staring at me in shock as I glared at them with my hands on my hips. I mean, come on. These guys are practically ancient and they can't remember I need to eat? What's up with that? The more I thought about it, the madder I got, until there was a red haze to my vision.

I felt a pressure build around me, just as the door flew open and the rest of my family piled in. Alice and Peter were running at Jasper, screaming for him to stop and begging him not to do whatever he was thinking of doing. James backed away from me slowly, sparking another round of anger. My own fucking mate was leaving me? Oh, hell no. I held one hand toward him, just as Jasper lunged at me from the left. My other hand went to block Jasper and the room was suddenly dead silent.

My heaving breaths slowed and my vision cleared slowly as I took in the room. Alice, Peter, and Charlotte were lined against the far wall, with Peter crouched protectively in front of the girls. James was standing stock still to my right side, wiggling slightly like he was trying to free himself from something. Jasper was flat against the wall to my left, arms and legs spread wide as he hung about 6 inches above the floor. The look on his face was a mixture of fear and awe. That look snapped me immediately out of my rage and I covered my mouth in shock.

Jasper and James fell immediately to the floor and James slowly approached me with his hands open, looking very submissive. "Oh my god! What was that? What the hell just happened?" I started sobbing as my mate wrapped his strong arms around me, hiding my face in his chest.

"Sweetheart, I think that was your shield. We thought you might develop a physical shield during your change and it appears to be triggered by your anger." James tipped my chin up to look me in the eye. "That's amazing, Bella. You are a _very_ powerful vampire. You just incapacitated the strongest vampire I've ever met, who also happens to be your sire, and you never even touched him."

"Hell yeah, Sugar! That was fuckin' awesome! Ain't never been a newborn that could take on the Major! 'Course, if he woulda listened to those of us that _know_ stuff, he might not've got his ass handed to him like that..." Peter added with a pointed look at the still-shocked Jasper on the floor. He was looking at me like I had grown another head, but I was still mad at him for some reason I couldn't understand yet.

"I- I just- I mean, _what was that?_ I tried to calm her but I couldn't get through at all! It worked before, with her and James, but this time it was like she wasn't even there! I felt her get mad and then, nothin'! My gift was just bouncin' back at me, not affectin' her at all!" Just like that I remembered why I was mad at Jasper.

"I felt that! It was a pressure pushing on me and it pissed me off even more! Then I saw James trying to get away from me and that really pushed me over the edge. I just wanted James to stay and I wanted Jasper to go, and that's what happened I guess. I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to do that!" Ok, now I'm crying. Or trying to cry. Can't get any tears to come out, stupid venom. I guess this is the newborn mood swings they tried to tell me about. It feels like supercharged PMS.

"Bella, darlin', I would help you with your emotions but given the fact that you just stopped me a few minutes ago, it might be good for you to practice controlin' 'em on your own." Jasper finally spoke up as he slowly stood, never taking his eyes off me. "Take some slow breaths. I know you don't need to breathe, but it really will help you settle down some. We really need to get ya fed."

"How is her bloodlust, Jasper? She seems really calm for someone so young. How is she doing this?" Charlotte asked tentatively. I gave her a smile so she would know I didn't mind her questions.

"She's actually not that thirsty. Her bloodlust is just a little bit higher than James and he hasn't hunted in about a week, right? She's definitely not an average newborn," Jasper said. "But, we don't want to push it. Let's get you fed, ok? Are you still wantin' our human diet, or are you gonna hunt with Alice?"

I had thought about this a lot before my change and I decided to check my conscience once I was no longer human. I started to answer and Peter jumped in. "Just to let you know, Sugar, we sorta arranged a prison break and the escapees found their way to our doorstep. They're waitin' for ya at the main house and then their bodies will be found on the other side of the mountain, ravaged by animals. Once we see how your control is, we can take ya huntin' in a city but we wanted somethin' easy for your first meal."

That made my decision easier. I knew no one innocent would be killed by my hands and I would actually be doing the humans a service with this meal. Charlie was always complaining about the over-crowding in prisons. Ok, that settles it. "I'm gonna try the human diet. No offense, Alice, but I don't think I can hunt animals. I'd rather hunt with the others." She smiled at me, understanding, and probably already knowing my decision.

James started pulling me toward the door, just as Jasper's cell phone beeped and Alice's eyes glazed over with a vision.

**Emmett POV  
**Man, this shit is seriously fucked up. We get dragged to Italy by the witch twins and that stuck-up tracker, Demetri. I have to listen to Carlisle bitch about Bella's mate killing that pussy Edward, and Aro pretends to be sympathetic before he tells Carlisle what he saw in Edward's memory. All those girls. All of them have Bella's face in my mind and based on the murderous look on my Rosie's face, she is coming around to my way of thinking. I thought back to the warnings from Alice and Jasper that Edward wasn't Bella's mate. It was pretty clear when that James dude came in with guns blazing and carried her off into the sunset. It was like a fucking movie or something.

Aro checked Carlisle's memories in order to "clear" our coven from our part in what happened to Bella. I'm just glad he kept his hand off me and my mate. I don't want that prick knowing how close I was to my baby sister and how I planned to contact her and Jasper once we get back to the States. But then he pulled the rug out from under us again. He said James and Jasper were ruling North America for the Volturi! What?! I looked up at Caius, expecting to see him madder than hell, but he was smiling and the fucker actually _winked_ at me! I don't know what's up with that, but I'm guessing he had something to do with that.

After we were dismissed from the kings, we were shown to some fancy-ass guest rooms and told to make ourselves comfortable. Hello! We're vampires! We don't _get _comfortable. Dumb shits. There wasn't even a tv in the rooms. You want me "comfortable," give me a damn Xbox. So just as Rosie and I are about to get down and dirty, I hear Carlisle's door open and someone whispering in there. Now, I may be big, but I can be pretty damn quiet when I need to. I went and put my ear to the wall to see what was going on and I heard Aro talking to Carlisle about how he wants our coven to go see Jasper's new coven and pretend to make nice with them. He wants inside information so he can try to bring them down. Carlisle was nervous, since we don't have a chance in hell against any of them if we get found out, but he pissed me off by agreeing to help the stupid king.

Rosie was getting even more pissed the longer they talked. She glared at me and handed me my phone when Aro said that the witch twins were going back to America to try to "take care of the problem" if they found a chance to act. I really don't like the sound of that. I waited until Aro left and then pulled Rosie back to the bed with me. I started touching her just like she likes it and as she started moaning and panting, I pulled my cell phone out and sent a text to my brother. Jasper needs to know what's up.


	13. Mind over Matter

_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story line. SM owns the characters, I'm just having fun with them_

_**Chapter 13- Mind over Matter**_

_Previously:  
James started pulling me toward the door, just as Jasper's cell phone beeped and Alice's eyes glazed over with a vision._

**Bella** **POV**  
Alice gasped as she came out of her vision and Jasper was by her side in an instant. "How did I not see this? What? How? I don't understand!" She was babbling as Jasper tried to calm her.

"Ali? What's wrong? What did you see?" Jasper's phone was forgotten as he tried to snap his mate from her panic. Alice finally locked eyes with him before shuddering and looking around the room until she found James.

"It's Garrett, James. Garrett and Kate. I can't tell where it is or when, but they are going to be attacked by Jane and Alec. We need to warn them!"

James staggered back and I tried to remember who those names belonged to. They sounded familiar, but it took me a while to place them. I finally pulled up a phone conversation he had while I was changing. This was his uncle they were talking about. We had to help them! He pulled his phone out and had a low conversation at vampire speed that I could actually understand for the first time. That was pretty cool. He seemed more relieved when he found out that Garrett and Kate were on their way to our compound and they had information about the Denalis.

Jasper finally remembered his phone and pulled it out to check the text. "It's Emmett! He said they are in Italy and we can't trust Carlisle. Aro is workin' with him to try to bring us down. Guess we know why Jane and Alec are attackin' our allies then. I'm gonna call Caius, and see what he knows." Jasper walked outside and Alice started to follow him, muttering something about her visions not working right.

"Alice? Didn't you say that Edward was getting around your visions somehow? What if Aro figured out what he was doing from his memories and now he's using that to get around you now?" I asked. Everyone stopped and looked at me in shock. What? I'm not an idiot.

Peter was smiling broadly as he looked at me. "There's the brains of the family. I knew you'd be the best of us, Sugar. Now how about we go get you something to eat and let the others make their phone calls. That sound good?" I looked at James to see what he thought and he just kissed my forehead and sent me on my way.

I followed Peter and Charlotte back to the main house, getting distracted along the way. The trees were so pretty, so complex! Each leaf had veins and a rainbow of colors, and each tree had thousands upon thousands of leaves! And don't even get me started on the bark! Peter laughed when I caught the scent of a deer that wandered close by and wrinkled my nose in disgust. "Yeah, smells awful don't it? Poor Jasper had to drink that shit for years! Ya know, he really owes you for gettin' him outta that place. You aughtta hold it over his head for a few decades at least," he said with a wink. Peter was starting to remind me a lot of Emmett, so light-hearted and seemingly carefree, even when I knew his mind was churning a mile a minute behind that slow drawl.

With my mercurial mood bouncing back to giddy, I jumped into his arms and said, "I love you, Petey."

He looked suddenly serious as he hugged me gently and whispered, "I know, Sugar. I love ya too. I'm so glad you're here with us now and I don't have to worry about ya quite as much."

Charlotte grabbed both our hands as he set me down and we took off at a fast run for the house. I finally understood how vampires were able to run so fast through the forest without hitting anything. It was ridiculously easy and I found myself laughing again as we dodged trees and rocks with abandon. Too soon for my taste, we arrived in front of the imposing mansion. Peter stopped me when I reached for the door, telling me I needed to work on my dexterity before I tried handling objects around the houses. We had replacements for doorknobs and such, but if I went through too many it would be a hassle to get more out here.

Nodding my understanding, I followed him into the house and froze when he walked to the basement door. The dungeon? He put my lunch in the dungeon? Gross! I hated that place when we saw it before, and even more after Peter explained the various torture devices to me. Why would he put my food here? "Stop wrinkling your nose, Sugar. I put 'em here 'cause it's the only place I could lock 'em up. Didn't feel like huntin' humans in the woods, ok? Just suck it up and get used to it, you've gotta get a thicker skin around here, ok?"

I nodded again, knowing he was right and I was going to have get past my innocence and immaturity pretty fast if I was going to rule effectively with my mate and my family. "Ok, now I'm gonna open this door and I want you to hold your breath until I say so. Char is gonna hold you back, but you have to let her. Just relax and let us help you. When I tell ya you can breathe, do a small test through your nose and then let your instincts take over. Make sure you drain 'em all the way until the heart stops, otherwise you'll be a parent before you're ready. Now, let's go."

Peter led the way, opening the door slowly as I held my breath and Charlotte held me. We walked single file down the steps to a room that I knew was pitch black to human eyes, but I could see clearly through the gloomy cells. Eight men were housed in different places around the room, showing me just how large this dungeon really was. I didn't even want to think about what was housed at the bottom of the Volturi castle, if this is what they put in a remote headquarters like this one.

Charlotte's hands tightened on my arms as Peter opened the first cell, pulling a large tattooed man in prison garb out by the back of his neck. He was crying like a baby and had obviously wet himself sometime during his stay and my nose wrinkled again. Humans were gross too. "This one was a child rapist and murderer. He should have gotten the death penalty but the prosecution screwed up the evidence and he was gonna be paroled next month. Hungry yet, Sugar?" Charlotte whispered in my ear. I was grateful for her help as it focused my hunter's instinct and raised my thirst higher even before I smelled him.

"Ok, Char is gonna ease up on her grip now. I want you to take a small breath and then get to it," Peter said quietly as I felt Charlotte's hands loosen and she stepped back from me a bit. I closed my eyes to brace myself and took an experimental breath through my nose. WOW! That was potent! I could make out the smell of fear and the salt from his tears, overshadowed by the ammonia smell of his urine. But covering all that was a mouthwatering scent that was enhanced by the speedy heartbeat thumping right through the vein in his neck. With my eyes still closed, I reached out and pulled him to me.

My teeth knew right where to go and what amount of pressure to use to bite through his dirty skin like butter. Instantly my mouth was flooded with hot, pulsing liquid ambrosia. It was better than a cold drink of water on a hot Phoenix afternoon, and the effect on my body was even more immediate. I felt his blood literally pulse through my veins, filling me with strength and dampening the dry itchy thirst in my throat.

I opened my eyes when his pulse began to slow, but continued to drink until I could pull no more from his vein. I dropped him by my feet and looked at my family expectantly. "How did I do?"

They were speechless, standing there with their mouths hanging open in shock. I began to get worried and glanced down at my hands and shirt to see if I was covered in blood or something. "What? I didn't make a mess did I?"

Peter finally shook his head and spoke. "No, you did so good! I've never seen a newborn feed like that right outta the chute! How did you control your bite and your strength? I figured you'd tear the head off the first one, or close to it, that's why I gave ya the biggest to start out with."

I panicked a bit at his words, was I not a good vampire? Not vicious enough or something? He must have seen something in my expression because he rushed over to pull me in for a hug. "No, Sugar, it's nothin' wrong. You fed like a mature vampire, it takes others years to master that technique but you had it born in you. It's just so amazin' to see! James and Jasper are gonna be so proud of ya." I nodded when he pulled back to check my face again. "Ok, now, are ya still thirsty? We've got plenty more!"

I finished two more before I felt sloshy and a little drunk, or what I assumed being drunk feels like. I never did try alcohol when I was human but Jasper assured me vampires could drink hard liquor and get the same effect eventually, it just took more to affect us. As we left the dungeon, we met the rest of the group coming in the front door of the house and I went straight to James for a kiss. He was shocked by my appearance and I was embarrassed by Peter's praises about my feeding.

We gathered in the main room, still refusing to call it the throne room, although Peter, Jasper, and James all parked themselves on said offensive chairs and pulled us onto their laps. I looked at Alice and Charlotte and we all rolled our eyes at our dominant mates. "Ok, I called Caius and told him to keep an eye on Aro for us. I also told him if we found the witch twins attacking anyone under our jurisdiction we would not hesitate to destroy them," James said, looking around to each of us. "He said that was fine with him and if Aro gave them any trouble they would take care of him as well. He wasn't thrilled with that idea, but I reminded him that I was forced into ruling, while he was already in that position and therefore had no reason to complain."

He hesitated, not wanting to say whatever else he needed to. "He also said that Jane and Alec never entered the castle after they brought the Cullens to Italy. He's not sure they ever left the airport.

Jasper spoke up next. "I tried to call Emmett but it went straight to voicemail. I texted him instead and told him to keep his eyes and ears open and to come see us when he gets back. That shouldn't incriminate him if someone else sees his phone."

I was distracted from whatever else he said when James put his lips on my neck and ground his erection into my hip. I was instantly dripping and felt myself purring against his chest. "Wanna go back to our house, sweetheart?" he murmured in my ear. I was nodding when I felt Jasper's emotional ice water once again. A vicious growl was pulled from my chest as I jumped up and faced off against my irritating sire.

"What the fuck, Jasper? Didn't you learn anything last time? You really want me to beat your ass again?" I shouted, quickly losing hold of my temporary post-feeding contentment.

"Yes, actually, I do. We need to work on your shield and the best time to do that is after you are freshly fed. Your emotions are more stable and you will have to work harder to control it. Once you can do that, I'll leave you alone with your mate. Deal?" He gave me that infuriating smile again, and James answered with a frustrated growl of his own. We were stuck and he knew it. With our coven under immediate threat of attack, we needed every available gift working, and fast.

"Fine," I said through clenched teeth as I stood up and headed for the door. I grabbed the handle before anyone could react, crushing it into a blob of brass and metal in my hand. "Oops..." I ducked my head and would have blushed if I was still human. James was behind me in an instant, gently removing the misshapen knob from my hand and pushing the door open to lead me outside. The rest of the family followed us, trying unsuccessfully to hide their laughter.

"Now," Jasper said, walking in front of me in the open space of the front yard, "Show me what you can do. Block my attack, restrain me, I don't care what you do as long as you use your shield. Got it?" As soon as I nodded he rushed me knocked me back into a tree twenty yards away.

"Hey! No fair! I wasn't ready!" I whined like a petulant child. Give me a break, I'm a newborn.

"Yeah, how many people you think are gonna warn you before they attack you? I can tell you how many. Exactly none," he said, twirling this time to attack James. They were a better match, but he still had James pinned within a minute or so and my vision began to go red. "That's it, darlin'. Grab that anger and find your shield. It's all in your mind, you gotta put it to work for ya."

This went on for the next few hours. Jasper bounced around attacking everyone in random order, picking on me and James the most, until I was feeling physically tired for the first time since I woke to this life. James noticed and tried to beg off my training until I had time to rest and suddenly Jasper had him down with his teeth at his throat. I no longer saw my uncle, my brother, my sire. There was a vampire trying to kill my mate and I reached out and grabbed him to pull him off. Only, my hand never made it to him. Less than a foot from my reaching him, Jasper was pulled up and suspended in midair, held by absolutely nothing.

"Yes!" he hissed in victory, ironic since he was the one at my mercy. If I could figure out how to control this anyway. Seeing that James was no longer in danger, my mind cleared and I could feel my connection to the invisible bubble surrounding Jasper. I could see it in my mind and feel it with my hand, almost like a scale model or something. I took a moment to experiment with my shield, twisting and turning my hand and watching my sire turn flips in the air. I cocked my head to the side in contemplation before I squeezed my hand slightly and saw him curl into a tighter ball. I kept squeezing until he was tightly in the fetal position and everyone around us was rolling in laughter.

Walking close beside where he hung in the air, I spoke softly, but firmly. "There's my damn shield, Jasper. Are you happy now?" His eyes widened slightly at my tone of voice and he tried to speak but I shook my head, cutting him off. "Now, I'm going home with my mate and you are going to leave us the fuck alone until we are finished. Understood?" I waited for his nod before smiling slightly. "Good. We're done here."

I turned my back and started walking to my home when I heard Alice speak up tentatively, "Um, Bella? What about Jasper?" I smiled before throwing my shield to the ground, letting Jasper bounce and roll until he caught himself and stood in awe. James wrapped his arm around me and we both waved over our shoulders as we ran to our house. Unfortunately, we never made it there.


	14. Nightmare

**_AN: I *think* this chapter will make everyone pretty happy. If not, the next one definitely will. Despite what I thought originally, there is a lemon at the bottom of the chapter. So there's your warning._**

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_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story line. SM owns the characters, I'm just having fun with them_

_**Chapter 14- Nightmare**_

**James** **POV  
**Bella and I finally escaped the Major and were running to our house when my phone rang. I saw that it was Garrett, and knew I had to take it. Stopping, I looked at my mate apologetically and she just nodded her understanding. "Hey Gar-"

_James! I'm so sorry! I didn't make it in time! I don't know what the hell happened but I think I'm close to your place, you've gotta come find us!_

"Garret? What are you talking about? Where are-"

_Just look for the smoke. Oh shit! I-_

I looked at my phone in horror when I heard Garrett screaming in pain on the other end of the line. I raised my head to scan the treetops and spotted a faint line of smoke from the other side of the mountain, barely visible at this altitude. Without another thought, I dropped my phone and ran for the smoke. Alice's vision kept playing in my mind, my uncle and his mate being tortured and killed by those evil little twins. Please let me get there in time!

Somewhere in the back of my mind I realized that my mate was keeping pace with me easily, her newborn strength serving her well. Her cell phone rang in her pocket but she crushed it when she tried to answer it, so whatever help we were going to receive was lost. She tried to apologize but I was completely fixated on the hunt. I focused on my gift, letting it draw me like a homing beacon. I only picked up on the witch twins, Garrett, and Kate, but I had a strange sensation that Laurent and Victoria should be there too. It was like a phantom scent or something, I couldn't place the odd feeling.

The rest of our coven was moving quickly behind us, but we had several minutes' head start on them. "Bella- take out Alec first. Put him in a fucking bubble if you have to, but get him out of the picture. Make sure you only attack the twins. There will be other vampires you haven't met, but they are friends, ok?" Her voice was strained as she muttered "yes."

We broke through the trees as a single unit, Bella was just behind my right shoulder. I nodded in the direction of Alec who was concentrating on keeping Kate under his power. Seeing such a powerful vampire sitting there helpless was unnerving to say the least. I had to remind myself that his gift wouldn't work on my mate, and she was strong enough to take him or just wrap him in her shield. She briefly touched my shoulder as she snuck around behind him.

Coming around a large tree, I didn't slow at all as I ran directly to Jane. I hit her full-force in the stomach, pushing her back fifty feet into a tree. I saw that Garrett was missing both arms, but Kate jumped over to help him as soon as Bella wrapped Alec in her shield. I followed Jane and had her head off before she could turn her gift on me, and her limbs followed quickly after. I wanted to light her up right then, but I had to keep my new position in mind- she would have a trial before her death.

Turning to see how my mate had done, I found Bella standing with one hand on her hip and the other bouncing up and down like she was tossing a ball. And she was. Alec was cramped in a tight ball, moving up and down in midair. "Sweetheart? What are you doing?"

She shot me a winning smile and didn't miss a beat with her new toy. "I'm playing catch! Haven't missed yet- oops!" I watched Alec hit the ground, leaving a crater three feet deep, still coiled into himself like a turtle with no shell.

"I can see that, would you like me to tear him apart now?" I asked her gently.

She picked her "ball" up and started tossing it again, higher this time. If a vampire could get motion sickness I'm pretty sure Alec would be puking by now. "Nope. He's a gift. I wanna show Jasper how well I did with my shield, and he deserves to rip this fucker to shreds," her voice was lower and dripping with venom as she turned her black eyes on her prize.

Satisfied that she had him contained, I turned back to Garrett to see how he was faring. He was still breathing hard, shaking off the lingering effects of Jane's gift, but Kate was holding his arms in place as they slowly reattached. I knelt beside him and tried to quiet him when he started to speak. He shook his head fiercely and finally whispered, "I'm _so_ sorry, James. I must have gotten here just after they finished, I guess they were hiding and waiting for me- I was focused on the flames instead of my surroundings. They were such cowards- Alec took Kate out before I even saw them, then that sadistic little bitch turned her powers on me. You have to kill them- you have the right, after what they did," he said as his eyes cut over to the pile of ashes I had somehow overlooked before.

My mind thought back to his phone call- _I didn't make it in time, follow the smoke_- he was focused on the _flames_. What happened here? With a sick feeling in my gut, I slowly stood and walked toward the pyre. There was no mistaking the evidence, a vampire had died here, more than one by the size of the ash pile. The wind brought the scent to me just as the glitch in my gift surged. _Laurent and Victoria_- their scent was here, but they were not. They were not _anywhere._

_Oh my god... NO!_ I looked back at Garrett, silently begging him to tell me this didn't happen. Tell me that the Major put me to sleep and this is some bizarre vampire nightmare and not actual reality. He held my eyes and barely nodded, my only indication that my sire and his mate were, in fact, dead.

I heard the rest of our coven rush in as I sank to my knees beside the barely-smoking ashes. Their scent drifted up to taunt me, forcing me to see the fact that my sire, my oldest friend, was no longer in this world. He gave me this life and I didn't protect his own. Bella knelt beside me, wrapping her arm around my waist, but remained silent as I mourned.

The screech of metal brought my attention to where the Major was dismembering Alec. It looked like he was being pumped full of fear and pain as he was torn apart, but it was nothing less than he deserved. Charlotte and Alice picked up Jane's pieces and the rest of Alec, while the Major carried the witches' heads by their hair. The Captain helped Kate get Garrett up and moving, telling Bella to keep her shield around us until one of them came back.

I'm not sure how long we sat there. I pulled Bella around to sit in my lap so I could bury my nose in her hair to try to block the acrid scent of burned flesh from my nostrils. She curled into my chest and nuzzled at my neck. I growled when I heard a vampire approaching, only relaxing when I realized it was Alice. She stepped toward us carefully, tentatively, and laid her hand on my shoulder. I was surprised that Bella didn't feel threatened by that, but she was already proving herself to be an extraordinary newborn.

"Um, it's going to rain starting in exactly four minutes. I brought this, for the... um.. the... _ashes,_" she whispered softly. I peeled my eyes open to glance at the ornate urn that she held toward me in offering. I hadn't realized why I was still sitting here until that moment; I couldn't just leave them to blow away in the wind, or be washed carelessly down the mountainside. I knew they were gone, but a part of me wanted to keep them with me and I guess Alice must have seen my intentions and stepped in to help.

I kissed Bella's head and set her off to my side as I reached for the antique covered vase. It was painted in a pastoral scene, but colored brightly and trimmed in 24-kt gold, just fancy enough to be absolutely perfect for my sire and his flamboyant mate. "Thank you, Alice." I murmured gratefully. I took a deep breath before I reached to carefully scoop their ashes into the urn. This was something I never thought I would be doing and it pained me to make that final step in admitting they were truly gone.

Once every last piece was safely in the container, I finally broke down and began to sob.

**Bella POV  
**I was really close to losing it and I had no idea how to keep control of my newborn emotions. I just woke up, fed, fought my sire, then fought two of the Voluri's elite guard. My mate was on the ground crying his heart out because his sire, his oldest companion in this life, was just brutally killed for absolutely no reason.

I was scared he would drop the ashes, but I knew I couldn't try to touch the urn or I would surely break it. Alice patted my shoulder as she moved around in front of James. "Let me take this back to the main house for you, ok? We will find a place of honor for them. Take your time here, but I think we would all feel better if you came back to the compound sooner rather than later. Bella is going to need to feed again after using her shield so much."

I glared at her for bringing his attention back to me and she shrugged unapologetically as she turned to run back to the compound. James shuddered a few times and raked his hands down his face before reaching over and pulling me close. "I'm sorry, Bella. I just never really thought this would happen. I should have known those twins would be cowards and not face us head-on like we thought. I wish Laurent and Victoria didn't have to be the ones to pay the price for all this shit. I don't even know what they were doing here. They left not long after you were bitten, they should have been hundreds of miles away by now!"

He squeezed me tight and then pulled me up as he stood. "She's right, we don't need to stay out here if her visions aren't working right. You need to feed and we have a trial to oversee." His face was hard as he finished speaking. It looked completely foreign, nothing like the easy smiles and calm demeanor I was used to seeing from him. He looked, well, like a vampire.

We ran to the main house and I tensed at the smell of the new vampires I had yet to officially meet. "It's ok, sweetheart. They won't hurt you. I'm sure they are upstairs and they won't approach you until you feel ready. Now, let's get you fed and see if there's enough left for me, ok?" I followed close behind him, looking around nervously until Jasper met us at the front door.

"Garrett's upstairs in one of the guest rooms, he already fed but left some for you, darlin'. We put the pieces of the witch twins out in the backyard, we'll have their trial whenever you're ready." James nodded curtly and led me to the dungeon for our meal.

I was surprised when he pulled the door closed behind us, but just before it was shut all the way he called out, "Major? If I decide to claim my mate, you gonna stop me this time?" I smiled when Jasper called out a shaky-sounding "no" and James shut the door with a bang.

"In the basement? Really?" I asked him doubtfully. I was looking forward to _really_ being with him, as an equal this time, but I never imagined our first time on the dirty floor of a dungeon...

"Let's just see what you think when we're done eating, ok? I won't force you," he said with a suspicious-looking smirk on his face. "Ok, I'm gonna hang back while you pick your meal. Don't attack me when I get mine. I'm your mate, not a threat." I nodded and walked to the nearest cell to pull out my supper. I kept my eyes on James as he went to a cell across the room and pulled another guy out kicking and screaming until he snapped the neck.

Something was happening to me as we fed together. My eyes would not leave his and I could feel them getting darker, despite the fresh blood I was pulling in. James looked almost feral with his mouth tinged in red and his eyes narrowed with a predatory glare. We finished our meals at the same time and I reached for the last human left. In a flash of movement, James was in my face, kissing me greedily as he reached for the man between us. He snapped the neck and pulled it up to offer me one side as he moved to the other. "Drink with me, sweetheart," he growled, his voice low and commanding.

I dipped my head, keeping my eyes still locked on his as we drained our meal together. The look on his face was consuming me and stripping away my already-scattered thoughts. As the hot blood poured down my throat, all I could see was my mate and all I could think was _MINE!_

The body fell between us, forgotten, and James pounced on me with a fierce growl. We battled for dominance as we kissed, an instinct-driven need to control and be controlled, but despite my newborn strength, he was the clear winner. I hit the blood-splattered concrete and his body pressed hard against mine. His lips and teeth moved from my mouth to my jawline, just below my ear. He kissed and nipped his way down to where my neck met my shoulder before biting down harder. "This is where I'll mark you as mine for the whole world to see."

I growled as he rolled his hips against mine and arched my body up to press closer to him. I ripped his shirt off as he kissed his way down my chest, taking the time to pull my shirt off more carefully before unbuttoning my jeans and pulling them down as well. I gasped when his tongue hit my folds, shocked for a moment that he was warm against my skin, instead of cold. He worked in one finger, then added another before latching onto my clit with fierce determination.

My first orgasm as a vampire was indescribable. I saw colors I had no name for and I'm pretty sure I heard a window break with my scream. Before I could even come out of it, James had his pants off and he thrust into me hard and fast. He pounded me into the floor so hard I could feel the concrete crumbling to dust beneath me.

He growled when I wrapped my legs around his waist to pull him closer to me, and faster than I could blink he sat up, pulling me onto his lap as he raised and lowered my hips on his thick cock. He brushed my hair back from my neck as he reached his hand down to press his thumb to my clit and I exploded. My instincts took over and I sank my teeth deep in his neck, just as I felt him bite me as well. The orgasm drug on for so long I would have passed out if I was still human.

I finally regained some of my senses and pulled my teeth out, licking the mark on his neck, realizing that James was doing the same to my own mark. His soft velvet tongue was soothing the slight sting left behind by his venom and I moaned at the amazing feeling. As soon as I did, I felt James freeze and his hands locked tight around me as he pulled his head back in shock. His crimson eyes were wide and he shook his head in disbelief. "Oh my god, I'm so sor-"

My hand on his lips stopped his ridiculous apology. "Don't you dare say you're sorry, James. I'm sure as hell not regretting a single minute of what just happened. That was amazing! To be able to love you like that, without caution or limits? That was-" The basement door cracking open startled a warning growl out of me and James had me up and shielded behind him against the wall in less than a second.

"It's just me, guys," Alice's voice floated down to us. "I'm leaving clothes for you at the top of the stairs. If you're finished now, we really need to get started on the trial."


	15. Interrogations

**_AN: Wow! Tons of sympathy for the deaths of Laurent and Victoria! James appreciates your flowers and kind words for his loss ;)_**

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_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story line. SM owns the characters, I'm just having fun with them_

_**Chapter 15- Interrogations**_

**James** **POV  
**Trying to shake off my lingering guilt, I helped Bella dress. I was unable to hold in my pride at the sight of my fresh mark on her neck, and I saw her eyeing the one she gave me as well. I knew I shouldn't feel bad for claiming my mate so soon after my sire was killed; he would have wanted me to go on with my life and to be happy with Bella. The tension of the brief fight, along with my strained emotions, made it impossible to wait another second- I just had to have her.

I had worried that I was too rough with her, but she handled my violent side just as well as I'd seen her handle everything else we had thrown at her so far. She laughed at the body-shaped dent we left in the concrete floor and surreptitiously licked the last spots of dried blood from her hands and arms that she could reach. I combed through the tangled mess of her hair, tying it back with my own band. Bella smiled gratefully, admiring my loose hair now hanging around my shoulders.

With a thoughtful look on her face, she ran her hand absently through the ends and said, "You know, the first thing I thought when I saw you was that I wanted to run my fingers through your hair. I felt so drawn to you, like a magnet or something."

I was shocked she could remember details like that, but also touched that she had focused so much on her memories of me during her change. We had come such a long way in such a short time, and we didn't have any chance of life settling down any time soon. "Finding you was the best thing that ever happened to me. I love you, my Bella."

Squaring my shoulders at the thought of our duties ahead, I took Bella's hand to lead her up from the dungeon. We found the rest of our coven assembled in the throne room, lounging on the thrones we were becoming reluctant to dispose of. There's just something about a throne that makes a man feel like he's in charge. Not that our mates were any less important than we were, but holding them on our laps was a mutually pleasurable experience as well.

Settling into the middle throne, which the Whitlocks left open for me, I pulled Bella onto my knee and sat up to face the limbless torsos of the witch twins. Their heads had not been reattached yet, but once Jasper asked Bella to be ready to shield them, Peter and Charlotte rose to put them back together. As soon as their necks began attaching, my mate had them wrapped in a shield before they could utilize their powers.

They snarled in frustration as they realized their impotence and I set Bella on my chair and stood to face them for their trial. "Alec and Jane Volturi, you are on trial for the murder and attempted murder of allies of the American Ruling Coven. Your royal exemption has been revoked by Caius and Marcus Volturi, and you will receive no amnesty here."

I stepped back as the Major stood, glaring down at the vampires in question. I'm sure he was sending them some emotional cocktail to make them cooperate as their eyes widened in awe and they began to shake slightly. "Why did you come here? What were your orders? Who sent you?" he fired questions at them one right after the other before locking his eyes on Alec, his clear nemesis. He had publicly defeated Jane but I knew his personal history with Alec made him hate the male vampire even more.

I saw movement from my left side and noticed that the Captain was holding his phone up to video the proceedings with a smirk on his face. He had years of seeing his brother in action and I guess he knew just how effective the Major was in this type of setting. Jane spoke first in a trembling voice I had never heard her use before, "Aro sent us. He wanted us to destroy Isabella before she could be turned, but we found the redhead and her mate before we made it to the compound. Alec put them under so Alice wouldn't see and we brought them with us until we could determine where Isabella was and if her change had been initiated."

Alec spoke up with a sneer now, "Your little training exercise left you too distracted to be on guard this afternoon. We got close enough to see that the tracker's mate had been changed and was heavily guarded, so we decided to use your sire as bait. Your ridiculously unobservant coven didn't hear us tear them apart and burn them slowly."

A fierce growl escaped me at the threat to my mate, and their callous dismissal of Laurent and Victoria. Bella placed her hand on my arm and I turned to sit, pulling her back onto my lap and holding her close. The Major looked at me and I nodded for him to continue. "What about Garrett? Why was he attacked?"

Alec was now gritting his teeth in an effort not to answer but Jane was still singing like a canary. "We heard someone approaching and hid to evaluate what to do. I recognized Garrett as an ally of this coven and waited for him to draw you out so I could attack. I knew that where the tracker was, his mate would be close by."

I'd had enough. "We have plenty of evidence here, along with witnesses, to put these two to death. Major, that's on you, however you want to do it."

He gave me a rather evil-looking smirk and clapped his hands together. "With pleasure. James, do you wanna get Caius on the phone so he knows what's goin' on here? Or wait until after we're done?"

That's a good question. I'm not going to let the kings have a chance to talk us out of it, these bastards are going to be ash. "Just keep filming and we'll send them the visual evidence when we're finished here. Let the kings decide what to do with Aro. These two are no longer their problem."

"Bella, you wanna help me out here darlin'?" She gave me a kiss and hopped up to help the Major carry the prisoners to the fireplace for disposal. "Ok, I wanna get the little bitch out first. Ali, you wanna start the fire for me?"

I watched as Alice turned on the gas starter in the fireplace, noting that it would provided nice ambience to the room, when it wasn't being used for execution purposes, of course. Bella separated the twins into two shields, waiting until the Major was ready to release Jane from her hold. As soon as his hands touched her she tried in vain to use her gift, evident by the strained tendons in his neck. He quickly snapped her head off and tossed it unceremoniously into the fire, followed quickly by her limbs and torso.

Bella glanced my way and I wondered briefly if she was bothered by her first live witness of the destruction of one of our kind. She gave me a small smile in reassurance and turned her attention back to her task. "Now, boy, I'm gonna have some fun with you. You and me have a score to settle, and puttin' you in this fireplace ain't gonna cut it. Well, at least not all of you," the Major's eyes were black and his voice was rough as he stood straight and proud, glaring at the captive. I wasn't sure where he was going with this, but there was a reason this was his area of expertise and not my own.

"Now, I'm pretty damn sure your power in concentrated in your hands, so first I'm gonna take those out of the picture." He picked up Alec's arms that were laying off to the side and ripped one hand off, then the other. Tossing them on the fire, he then told Bella to release him from his shield. Waiting a minute to see if his gift was neutralized, he nodded and waved Bella back to her seat, moving over to rip Alec's head off and kick the rest of his body parts over into a pile by the fireplace.

The Major set Alec's head down on a low ottoman facing the fire. "Now, as I was sayin', we've got some business to do, boy. First thing I'm gonna do is get rid of this body you don't need no more." He slowly broke off piece after piece from the vampire's body, tossing them one by one into the dancing flames.

"Now, you probably don't remember, what with all the vampires you have tortured over the years and such, but you and I spent some time together a few years back. Of course, I don't remember it much either, seein' as how I was completely closed up in my own mind and all. It actually took me questioning quite a few people to piece together exactly how long you kept me under. Came to about 37 days. Just over a month, maybe, a blink of the eye to a vampire, but that single month nearly cost me my sanity. Me, who lived through every torture Maria could think of, every punishment, every threat, was nearly undone by a puny little soulless monster like you.

"I had been dismembered before, even had my head buried in the ground by my cunt of a sire, but there is something about the total sensory deprivation of your disgustin' little _gift_ that very nearly put me right over the edge. I didn't know if I was already dead, or still livin', or how much of my body had been destroyed. I didn't know if I'd ever see my brother again, after all the years I worked to keep him alive. I thought I'd die before I met my true mate, my sweet Ali, who saved me from everythin' horrible I have done and seen." I had no idea where he was going with this, but I had a feeling he wasn't about to thow Alec in the fire anytime soon.

He stopped his pacing and stood in front of the silent head. "So, this is what we're gonna do. We have a fancy ceremony comin' up next year tellin' all the vampires around here that we're in charge. Now, some of 'em might have a problem with that, thinkin' we ain't fit to rule. Well, I say seein' is believin'. So I'm gonna stick your head out there in the backyard. I've got a nice spot picked out where I'm gonna dig me a hole and cover you up with dirt. Like I said, it ain't quite the same as your gift, but it'll give ya a good enough taste. Then, when we get everybody up here to meet us, I'm gonna dig ya up and let you join your sister in hell."

Wow. He is seriously cold-blooded. You know when you hear stories about someone, you just assume they had to have been exaggerated, because no one could be that cunning, or that strong, or that... evil. I guess I need to reevaluate my opinion of the Major. Apparently everything I ever heard about him was completely true. The Captain looked over at me and winked, confirming my conclusion.

"Ok, I'm going to call Caius now and let him know what's happening. I'm not telling him about the Alec thing, that can be a surprise when they come for the inauguration next year. And I don't want Aro to know he's still alive in any form," I said, pulling out my cell phone as the Major carried Alec's head out the back door.

I called Volterra and asked Caius to take Marcus to his office so we could all speak in private. I told them about the attack and the information we got from the witch twins before they were destroyed. I left out the unique punishment that the Major chose for Alec, but they would find that out soon enough. I also didn't tell them exactly how gifted Bella was, only saying that she was adjusting well to her new life and had chosen to follow our traditional diet. No need to paint a larger target on my mate than the one she already carried.

Caius was furious with Aro and I could hear Marcus talking him down so he wouldn't go off and attack him prematurely. Marcus came on the phone and said he would get Chelsea to cut everyone's bonds with Aro and then they would execute him as a traitor. I asked him what he would do about the Cullens and he offered to send Emmett and his mate here to us, since Felix decided to stay in Italy with the Volturi's new human receptionist, who turned out to be his mate. Carlisle would most likely be executed, but Marcus was strangely quiet on the topic of Esme. He mentioned that she was not Carlisle's true mate, and that they were merely companions. I didn't know what that meant for her fate though.

With our official business finished, I asked Bella if she thought she was ready to meet our guests. She looked nervous, but agreed to come upstairs with me. I kept my arm tight around her as I waited for Garrett to call us in the room. Opening the door, I saw Kate sitting next to Garett at the head of the bed, and both had their eyes lowered submissively.

"Bella, this is my uncle, Garrett, and his mate, Kate. Guys, this is my mate, Bella," I said with a proud smile and a squeeze to Bella's shoulders.

She glanced at me from the corner of her eyes as I felt her tense up, and I rubbed circles on her neck, brushing her mark with my fingertips to soothe her. She took a deep breath and finally relaxed her face enough to smile in welcome. "Hey. Nice to meet you. I'm sorry about the whole welcoming committee, but Jasper took care of them so they won't be bothering you anymore."

Kate had venom tears in her eyes as she smiled warmly at Bella. "Thank you so much for your help. I don't want to think about what could have happened if you hadn't shown up and taken them out. We were powerless against them, they didn't even give us a chance to fight. Your coven will have the loyalty of the Denalis and all of our allies as well."

I nodded at her to convey my gratitude. This was not how I wanted to earn the loyalty of the second-largest coven in America, but at this point we had to take what we could get. Garrett smirked as if he knew what I was thinking, before turning his attention back to my mate.

"You sure are powerful for being such a little bitty thing, Miss Bella. I'm glad my nephew has a mate who can look out for him, keep him safe." he said, with a wink in my direction.

"Yeah, just like you and Kate, right Gar?" I shot back with a smile that turned into a laugh when he frowned at me. Bella looked at me, confused and I continued my explanation, "Katie here has a pretty effective offensive gift. She can shock a vampire with an electrical current on her skin. Kind of like a human being tasered, or that's what it looks like anyway. Not very pleasant to experience." Garrett and I both shuddered, so I guess she had shocked him at some point since they met. Not sure if he pissed her off or just got too curious for his own good; I can see him being stupid enough to ask her to shock him.

Apparently Bella and Garrett are kindred spirits. "That's cool! We'll have to see if my shield can stop that too. Not today though, I'm still kinda wound up from the fight and trial and stuff. I hope you will stay here for a little while and we can get to know each other better. Right now I think I need James to take me back to our house for while," Bella turned to me with questioning look.

"Sure, sweetheart. We'll head out now. Garrett, Kate, like she said, I hope you'll stick around. We can talk more later, but we can really use your help getting the word out about the change in power with the Volturi." They nodded and I pulled Bella out the door, keeping her tucked close to my side.

We made it to our house without seeing anyone else, and she sighed in relief when the door closed behind us. "Finally. That was the longest day I have ever had. I sure picked a good day to wake up as a vampire!"

I laughed at her exasperated expression, before dropping a kiss on her upturned lips. "You sure did, sweetheart. But look at it this way, this is just the first day of our forever, and we'll be together from here on out. I love you, my Bella, and I'm so glad I tracked you down."


	16. Epilogue: An Occasion

**_AN: This is it! I know it's probably shorter than some of you would like, but there's really not much else to tell. Thanks for sticking with me through the journey, I had no idea where it was going when I started, but I hope you like where it turned out. If you haven't checked my other stories, I'm working on a Bella/Paul story that will be quite a bit longer than this one, and I am currently writing a Bella/Garrett fic that I will start posting once I get a few more chapters completed, so keep your eyes open for that one._**

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_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story line. SM owns the characters, I'm just having fun with them_

_**Epilogue: An Occasion**_

**Bella** **POV  
1 year later  
**Vampires were arriving daily at our remote compound, and it was really trying my newborn frazzled nerves almost to the breaking point. This past year had been a whirlwind of training, traveling, negotiating, and learning to live in my new, improved body. James was an angel, sticking by me every step of the way and never being too busy to take time out to calm me, despite his many responsibilities. I was extremely grateful for the month-long honeymoon we spent alone here at the compound.

Garrett and Kate traveled the western half of the continent, seeking out nomads to spread the word of our rise to power. Peter and Charlotte covered the eastern half, while Jasper and Alice returned to his old territory in the south. Alice said he drug her around at night showing her battlefields from both his human and vampire war history. She retaliated with shopping at every mall she came across and they ended up having to buy a truck to drive her new acquisitions home.

Emmett and Rosalie came here a few months after my change, and I was so happy to have my best friends reunited again. He teased me about Jasper being my sire and trying to get me to call him daddy. Jasper had me wrap Emmett in my shield several times a day, just for practice of course. Rosalie and I had a tentative truce. We would probably never be real friends, but she was more sympathetic towards me after learning of Edward's abuse.

We received word that Aro and Carlisle were executed in Volterra, and the positive response to that, and to the witch twins' demise, was overwhelming. We didn't expect any challenge at our upcoming inauguration, but we also had Jasper's little prize waiting in the wings just in case. That should cause a fun reaction, especially from the kings who thought Alec had been dead for a year already.

The bubbles swirled in the tub as my mate slipped in behind me, pulling my headphones from my ears as he pulled me to his chest. "You were a million miles away, sweetheart. What were you thinking about?" he whispered, before moving his lips to my neck.

"Mmm, I was just thinking about the past year and all the changes we have made. I really don't know what I would have done without you. Probably gone insane or tried to kill Jasper," I was only halfway joking on the last part. The Major was a major pain in my ass.

Jame laughed, holding me tighter, "Well, you're probably the only vampire on earth who actually has a shot at it. Lucky for him, you're loyal to your family."

We soaked in the tub for a half hour more until James said we had to get ready. It was time for our big fancy inauguration and Alice had our clothes laid out on the bed when we walked in. I sighed and stood there so James could hep me into my fitted blue silk dress. I still had issues with control, and most of my clothes that weren't denim or flannel were ripped too easily for me to dress myself.

James threw on his suit in a matter of seconds, carrying his tie for Alice to put on him when we got to the main house. I convinced him to leave his hair down and he looked like the cover of a trashy romance novel, ready to carry me off into the sunset. As if reading my thoughts, he scooped me into his arms and carried me down the path to find the rest of our coven.

The crowds gathered in and around the throne room had my instincts up again, and James kept his hand on my mark, soothing me. A wave of calm drifted over from my sire and I sent him a grateful smile as we all moved together to the thrones. James set me down, keeping his arm around me, while Alice fixed his tie, along with Jasper's and Peter's as well. All three looked just as uncomfortable as I felt in my fancy dress, but I couldn't deny that the final effect was quite stunning.

Jasper felt my admiration and sent me his agreement, wrapping his arms around me and Peter. "We do have a damn nice looking coven here. 'Course the Whitlock genes only attract the best," he finished with a wink at our mates.

James just laughed as he pulled me to his throne, and we all sat down as the ceremony began. Garrett and Kate were off to the left side of the slightly raised platform, with Emmett and Rose to the right. The nomads and covens all gathered closer when Caius and Marcus approached, with their wives on their arms. When Esme arrived back in America wearing a Volturi cloak, we were all shocked. Well, all of us except Alice, of course. It seemed that she and Marcus had a strong bond, not that of mates, but it was close enough to satisfy them both for now.

Caius' mate, Athenadora, was as beautiful as the goddess she was named for. Her raven hair flowed in waves almost to her feet, and together with Caius, they really made a striking couple. She stood slightly behind him as he walked to the front of the room and raised his hands for attention. "Welcome, everyone. As I'm sure you are aware, we are here for the official inauguration of the North American Ruling Coven, led by Tracker James Williams.

"This coven was appointed by the kings in Volterra, but James has requested a popular vote to secure their position. All those in favor, please raise your hands." He waited as every hand in the room went up. I turned and smiled at my mate, who was clearly shocked by the overwhelming support. "All those opposed?" Not a single hand was raised.

"This it's official. Vampires of North America, I give you your new ruling coven," Caius finished with a bow in our direction, before stepping off the platform to stand with Marcus. A loud cheer went up from the vampires, and James wrapped his arms around me when he felt me tense up. Jasper reached over to lay his hand on my arm, concentrating his power to keep me in check. I was really getting tired of this newborn phase.

James pulled me up with him when he stood to address the audience. "Thank you for coming, everyone, and for giving us your support. We have no intention of abusing your trust and we will try our best to rule fairly and impartially. Now, I know most of you have met us, but I'd like to introduce the rest of my coven." None of us missed how his chest puffed out with pride when he finally, publicly, claimed his role as coven leader. I shot a grin at the others who came to stand around us.

"I'm sure you are all familiar with Major Whitlock, and his brother, the Captain, from their roles in the Southern Wars. They are now members of my coven and my co-rulers, along with our mates. Major Whitlock is mated to the lovely Alice, and Charlotte is the beautiful lady who got stuck with the Captain." The crowd laughed lightly and the formal atmosphere seemed to ease a bit.

"And last, but certainly not least, is my gorgeous mate, and niece to the Whitlocks, Miss Isabella Whitlock." I would have been blushing if I was still human. As it was, I had to fight the urge to wrap my shield around myself and my mate.

"Now, I'll turn the floor over to the Major, who is our resident executioner. As you know, we were attacked shortly after moving here and we held a trial for Jane and Alec Volturi who admitted to treason, murder, and attempted murder. They also implicated Aro and he was executed in Volterra along with Carlisle Cullen." James stepped back and motioned Jasper forward.

"We executed Jane at once, but I had a special little treat for Alec that's been cookin' up for the past year. I know my reputation speaks for itself, but in case there was any doubt left about this coven's ability to rule, I wanted to show you what happens to those who challenge us. Emmett?" Jasper held his hand out and Emmett handed him a burlap sack that I knew contained Alec's head. When he pulled it out, the entire room gasped in shock, and I was impressed with Jasper's ability not to be moved by the huge wave of emotion.

"Alec here was buried in the backyard for the past year, to help him understand the seriousness of his actions against the vampire community. I know most of y'all think he and his sister were invincible, but my little niece here took Alec out the very same day she woke up to this life. Her mate handled Jane at the same time. I hope this lays to rest any doubts you have and lets us move on to the new age of self-rule today, here and now." With that, he walked through the crowd of awestruck vampires, to toss the head carelessly into the fireplace where several more vampires jumped back in fear.

Jasper was smirking as he returned to his throne, lifted Alice, and settled her back on his knee. We all breathed a sigh of relief when there was no adverse reaction, and the crowd slowly began to applaud once again. The six of us stood and joined hands as James leaned over and whispered to me, "None of this would have been possible without you. I am so proud to have you as my mate, and I hope I will make you proud as well. I love you, my Bella."

"I love you too, James. And I'm so proud of you, you're finally accepting what you were meant for all along," I told him with a smile.

Peter came up behind us and kissed both of us on the cheek, which James immediately wiped off with a grimace that made me laugh. "Aww, I love y'all too! Now, let's get this party started, alright?"

We spent the rest of the night dancing with our coven, with kings and nomads, red and gold eyes alike. Forever was gonna be a pretty sweet place to be, as long as I had my Tracker and my family by my side.

**_The__ End_**


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